


The Mysterious Man

by redescort



Category: Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (TV 2003), Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (TV 2012), Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles - All Media Types
Genre: Alternate Universe, Death, M/M, Relationship(s), Romance, Sexual Content, Violence
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-02-20
Updated: 2019-02-23
Packaged: 2019-03-21 21:45:03
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 19
Words: 259,145
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13749834
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/redescort/pseuds/redescort
Summary: A teenager from Georgia seemingly lands in the wrong place at the wrong time. After that, he finds a clan of turtles that both builds him back up and strengthens him along the way, all of them finding out answers about themselves in the process.





	1. Reckoning

* * *

**Welcome to The Mysterious Man!**

First, I need to lay out a small disclaimer and some basic background information. 

_All of the Turtles and all related imagery, references, or rights belonging to them are still the original creators'. I am not making any money off of this work, and I do not intend to. Also, any copyright, brand names, or trademarks referenced in this are not mine._

The only thing in this story that does belong to me is the original character, Connor Denton. Feel free to use Connor in any story you feel like, with permission of course. He is based off me, the author, with a different name and certain life details changed of course, but the similarities do run very deep.

Other than that, here's some basic information: 

Connor Denton (OC) is 17 years old. 

Leonardo, Raphael, and Donatello are 17 years old. 

Michelangelo is 16 years old. 

The universe is basically modern day, with themes of both 2003 and 2012 mixed in. 

Other than that, please read! In the front of every chapter I include a "Recommended Listening" section. It includes music that I think fits in the chapter, as well as the fact that they may be referenced in said chapter. The genres vary, so there's that. You don't need to listen to the music, but I think it will enhance the reading experience.

* * *

* * *

RECOMMENDED LISTENING:  
“Terrain glissant (feat. Kalash Criminel)” - Hornet La Frappe, Kalash Criminel

This is a French rap song about “slippery ground”, the antics that happen in certain criminal actions such as drug dealing. You’re essentially on a slippery slope when you go down that road.

“Buckle Up and Kill - Luxxer Remix” - Angerfist, Luxxer

This will be referenced later, in terms of events anyway. It’s also hardcore EDM, which fits the tastes of Connor.

* * *

* * *

Sunday, January 28, 2018, 1:34 PM

* * *

“ _Where am I?_ ”

Connor opened his eyes, keeping them half shut. All he could see was darkness, with an orange light flickering off and on in the background, fuzzy from being unable to focus. “ _Where the hell am I and why do I feel like a bus ran over me five times?_ ”, Connor asked himself before trying to look at some more going on around him. There was a sound of dripping water from some sort of pipe overhead, as well as a stench. 

It smelled like a sewer, with a hint of burnt motor oil and some sort of grease. It wasn’t the best smelling place in the world, that was for sure. The last thing he remembered was going down a manhole, but what for? It seemed like he was running from something, but what was he running from?

The stench of the dark… well… wherever he was wasn’t all that was wrong. He felt blood dripping off of his chest. “ _Great,_ ” Connor thought, “ _I’m literally about to die in what feels like a sewer. Great job with living this long, I guess._ ”

From the blood loss as well as the general stress of the situation, Connor was starting to feel weirdly lightheaded. Only about thirty seconds elapsed before the whole world went darker than even where he was.

* * *

5:00 PM

* * *

It had been a while since the Turtles did a patrol of the sewers since they normally went topside to stop petty crimes and innocent victims from being hurt, as well as possibly fight some of the Foot Clan. The four brothers were about to go topside as per usual, but Leo had a sneaking suspicion something was wrong somewhere in the sewers, and he wanted to find it out. 

“We are going to split up. Mikey and Raph, you guys are going north. Don and I will go south. If you find anything, call me. And make sure to keep your shell cells on,” Leo said while sending a glare to Mikey. Raph replied to Leo with a sarcastic “Yes Mommy, I’ll make sure to be a good boy.”

As the four split up, everything seemed normal, but Mikey felt kind of off. “Hey Raph, do you have a bad feeling about something? I think we’re going to come across something creepy?”  
“I’m feelin’ that too. Let’s keep lookin’, and if we find anything we’ll call Fearless and Don. Got it?” “Yep. I still feel weird though…” “We’ll be okay knucklehead.”

After about twenty minutes of searching the tunnels, that weird gut feeling grew in strength for both Mikey and Raph. It started to smell like blood, less of the typical “sewer smell”, as much as the Turtles got used to it. As Mikey looked left, he saw something that looked like a human. “Raph, come over here and look at this.”

Raph turned around and saw what looked like a small, thin person laying on the sewer tunnel floor. On borderline instinct, he whipped out his shell cell and called Leo. After two rings, Raph started to speak. “Uhhh Leo, we may have a small problem here. Nothing we gotta fight, but me and Mikey need some help. We’re in tunnel C11, below the intersection of East 57th and 2nd, and we need Don’s bag of tricks. Hurry the fuck up will ya?”

Leo and Don were about half a mile from that tunnel, and Raph’s pained tone painted a mental picture neither of them wanted to see. 

“Don, we need to get to Mikey and Raph as soon as possible. They’re in tunnel C11…. I’m afraid there is a medical emergency from the way Raph was panicking,” Leo stammered out as Don was quickly following behind. 

“I think we should start running,” Don said as he started to pick up speed. His heavy tech bag was loaded up with all sorts of things, from stolen Foot masks that allowed the user to see in the dark, to all sorts of first aid equipment, pretty much everything a genius like Don would need ever on patrol to be prepared for any situation. However, the weight of the bag didn’t slow Don down at all, due to adrenaline coursing through his system. He knew something was horribly wrong and didn’t even try to slow down. 

Leo was keeping up with an adrenaline-infused Don, and they both got to tunnel C11 in about three minutes. Most humans running would have taken about three times that, but the Turtles are surprisingly fast for their shape, with the lifetime of training helping that fact.

Mikey was pacing back and forth, a lot like Don would do if he was in a predicament. Raph was on his knees looking at the unconscious human, hoping that whoever it did not lay dying. 

Don rushed over and checked the human’s pulse. “Their heart is still beating, and to me, it looks like they are simply unconscious… I wonder what happ….” Don cut his own comment off after looking at the human with the night vision Foot mask. There was blood dripping through a cut on the human’s shirt, as well as what looked like bruises on the human’s arms as well as neck. 

“I’m afraid that they have lost a bit of blood, and has been beaten relatively recently…. I need to take them back to the lair,” Don said as he looked at the human still laying on the floor. “I hope they still have some sort of identification I can scan back in the lab.”

Leo was starting to ask the inevitable question, “But won’t this cause us any danger?”

Raph had to butt in. “Does this person look really all that fuckin’ dangerous? They have the muscles of a twig! One goddamn finger could take ‘em down!” There was an uncomfortable silence as Leo realized Raph was right. This human looked completely safe in every way, not muscular, doesn’t look like they were trained in any sort of weaponry or martial arts, just stumbled into the sewers and passed out. The question was, why were they passed out in the sewer?

Mikey, with his perception, was pretty much reading Leo’s mind came up with an idea. “Maybe they were being fought by something and hopped down a manhole for some sort of protection, and just got lost? They were already bleeding and bruised, so they just gave up here. Also, it's not like they could fight us anyway, so I say we should take them back and get Don to look and see what happened.”

Leo agreed. “It is a part of our code to help out anyone in need, and it looks like this person needs our help. However, my reservation is that if they react negatively. I am willing to take that risk, however, since I highly doubt this person can do all that much damage to us. Raph, can you throw this person over your shoulder to get them to the lair, and Don can you get ready to look them over and gather some details?”

Raph saluted towards Leo before he took the rather limp man and threw him over his shoulder. Don picked up his bag as he sighed since this was going to take a few more sleepless nights than he planned to get through that week. On the way back to the lair, Raph and Don walked in front of Mikey and Leo. Mikey leaned over to Leo and whispered, “So, what is going to happen with this person once they wake up? Would they even know what happened before we found them?” 

Leo had to reply in the only way he could, because he honestly knew as much as Mikey did, pretty much nothing. “Well, Mikey,” Leo started to comment quietly, “I don’t honestly know what will happen. What I do know for sure is that this person is not much of a threat to us at least in a physical way. Whoever that is currently knocked out and will wake up hopefully soon. If they don’t wake up soon, Don’s going to have a couple of sleepless nights... We may need to get more coffee with the way Raph and Don are going to be pounding it down over this next week….”

The rest of the ten-minute walk to the lair was otherwise peaceful, except with a fleeting thought here and there between each of the four asking who this person was, and why they were there in the sewers, so close to the lair. While Leo pandered that exact question, Don opened the door to the lair and rushed Raph into the infirmary attached to his lab downstairs. Leo knocked on the door of Master Splinter’s shoji and slowly slid the rice paper door open. 

When Leo kneeled next to his father, the only thing Splinter had to say was one simple quote, “ _Opportunities multiply as they are seized._ ” Leo pondered that quote from Sun Tzu for a second but still had to ask his father what exactly that meant. “Sensei, how does that quote correlate with the situation we have found ourselves in?”

Master Splinter slowly smiled, the fur on his face showing a sign of both happiness, but yet also one of hope. “Leonardo, the human you found in the sewer tonight will become a valuable tool, even if it does not seem as such at the current moment. He is a little different than most humans you personally have come across, but that is not a negative thing. I will not deter you from questioning him, since he does not pose a single danger against us, but he has had what you would call a “run-in” with one of our enemies in the recent past. Your brothers will need to figure all of this out soon. There will possibly be some tension in this next week, but that is something we will all work through.”

After a mild pause, Master Splinter simply stated, “You can overcome the challenges of this newfound situation by yourself, with help from your brothers, of course. I can always help in any way I am able to, but this man will need some time to talk to all of us about his situation. I have a mild understanding of his past through my meditation, but even that is not enough until we get details, with your brothers breaking down his mental blocks and revealing some secrets. You do remember the contract between you and your brothers from when you were younger, correct?”

Leo nodded. “To keep secrets from each other would result in possible death for any of us.”

Master Splinter simply smiled. “You may want to check in on your brothers, they may need your help.”

Leo bowed down to his father as he stood up, the smell of the sandalwood incense burning in the shoji calming his nerves just that little bit. Leo was heading to the infirmary, hoping to get some information about this man that lay unconscious in the sewers that night.

* * *

10 minutes prior

* * *

Raph had the mysterious man laid over his right shoulder, as Don opened the door to the infirmary. There was a single bed in the room along with a light and some basic medical equipment, but it was enough for the Turtles. Since they were mutated with mostly human physiology, most medical procedures applied to humans, too. But there was a catch. The mutagen that mutated the Turtles also added a super-healing ability, which sped up to normal healing by about five times. But that doesn’t apply to normal-looking humans. 

Raph set the human down on the bed and promptly left, as he knew Don did not like being disturbed by any of his brothers when he had both research and medical work to do. 

Raph walked out to the living room, joining Mikey in a game of “Super Smash Bros.”, a game they both liked and were rather competitive in. It wasn’t only that reason Raph joined Mikey, it was also a way to numb the mind of other background thoughts.

Meanwhile, Don was in the infirmary. He set about gathering any kind of identification on this person, as they were an unknown to him still. Thankfully, there was a wallet in the front left pocket of the man’s pants. It contained a valid Georgia drivers’ license with the name of Connor Denton. Height was labeled on the license as 5 feet and 4 inches, weight as 95 pounds, and a restriction requiring the driver to wear glasses when driving. 

Also in the wallet was a debit card in the same name, a warning on pink paper from the Oakwood, GA police department for going 15 miles per hour over the speed limit, a “Triple-A” card which allowed the user free towing services in a subscription, what looked like some sort of membership card for a business called “Pull-a-Part”, which looked like some sort of self-service junkyard, not much unlike the one he gets parts from. Also, there was a credit-card sized metal multi tool, which explains maybe Connor was handy with tools and mechanical work.

In Connor’s right pocket was a smartphone, a valuable tool for learning how someone lived. Don would get back to that later when he was sure Connor would stay in a stable state for more than an hour or so. The phone’s screen was cracked, and the battery was dead. 

The man’s shirt was ripped on the right shoulder from some sort of blade, with the skin underneath being only barely scratched. “What a lucky dodge,” Don thought. The shirt seemed to come as part of a uniform from a Discount Tire store, presumably where Connor previously worked, which coincides with the plain black pants, the black leather belt, and the black steel-toed boots the man wore. 

With the man in a gown, Don could look at his injuries a little more in-depth. There were four bruised ribs, and two broken ribs, both on the right side of Connor’s body. There seemed to be some sort of welt in the pattern of a seat belt, which didn’t make sense. “ _Where was he in a car accident? These welts are pretty fresh,_ ” Don surmised. “ _Was there anything still left on him as a sign of owning a car?_ ” Also, there was a wound on the right breast of the man, what seemed to be a moderate depth slice by something like a katana or sai. “ _Who was he fighting?_ ” Don asked as he started to stitch the wound, to not allow any more infections to come in. 

After the stitching of the sliced pectoral muscle, Don went back to the battered pair of pants and fished around in the pockets when he heard something jingle. There were a set of car keys on a keyring, also with some sort of generic key, maybe for a house. The keys were rounded triangles in shape, with a Ford logo on either side. “ _Are they a transponder key?_ ”, Don asked himself as he got up and looked at them his small X-ray machine in the lab. No, it wasn’t a transponder key, which meant the car they belonged to was older than roughly 1998, which didn’t coincide with the car listed on the written warning, which was a 2013 Ford Focus. 

That just raised more mysteries. Connor was in his work uniform, looking like he recently drove some sort of older Ford car and got into a fight… but he is in New York City, not anywhere near his home in suburban Atlanta. That is what was tripping up Don the most. He needed more answers, but they were stuck in the man that was currently sitting blacked out on his infirmary bed. 

There were some more answers Don could find though. That smartphone Connor had was a goldmine of information, if you could get into it. Grabbing a micro-USB cable, Don plugged the phone into his computer and powered it up. It booted up fine, but there was a pattern passcode on it. “They always forget to wipe the smudges off,” Don snickered. On the phone’s glass screen, there was a distinct pattern of fingerprint smudges on the phone. Don simply traced it out, and the phone unlocked.

The background was simply a shade of black, with a simple layout. “Leo would like this guy…” Don said aloud. Leo was simple and spartan in his life, and Connor’s phone mirrored that. 

Going into the “photo gallery” didn’t help either, the last picture was taken well over two weeks ago, at what looked like some sort of classroom with notes on the board. Going into the “recent calls” section of the phone though, that displayed a red flag. Connor made a call to 911 three days ago for about eight minutes, which isn’t an often occurrence for most people.

The last texts were made to his friend, talking about hanging out five days ago, before that 911 call. Other apps on the phone were Reddit, which Don was going to look at in a second. Spotify was there, and Connor’s taste in music was rather varied, a trait he shared with Raph. Don only usually listened to classic rock when he was working on Raph’s Shell Cycle or the Battle Shell. Raph listened to a wider variety of music, however. On Connor’s Spotify account were playlists ranging from 180-beats-per-minute electronic dance music to French hip-hop to fusion jazz. The only thing that was missing was pop music and country. 

Going into the web browser, Don immediately looked at the search history. Nothing out of the ordinary, but three days ago after the 911 call Connor Googled “why do I feel so weird and feel like I need to be in a specific place”. That was a red flag. Why did Connor feel weird? Did whoever fought him drug him? Also, was that specific place New York in general, or was it the lair?

Don couldn’t find any answers from the smartphone either. It only led to more questions, not definitive answers. The last time this phone was touched by Connor in any form of communication was three days ago, the same time he called 911 and Googled that weird search. Could they be correlated?

By now, it was four in the morning, and Don needed at least a notion of sleep. Connor still hasn’t woken up yet, and the rest of the Turtles were in bed. Leo was to wake up in roughly two hours and go into Master Splinter’s shoji to meditate together and talk about the day. Raph usually slept to roughly eight, going straight into the kitchen for coffee and breakfast, hopefully without anyone pushing his temper. Mikey woke up the latest, but he was bouncing off the walls when he was awake, loving to push Raph’s buttons as he did so. 

Since Leo was the only one to even wake before sunrise, Don had to ask him to look over Connor while he got at least 4 hours of sleep before continuing his research. Walking upstairs, Don knocked on the door quietly. Leo was a light sleeper, so he heard it. “Can I ask you a question?” Leo replied with a flat groggy “Come in.”

Don walked into Leo’s bedroom and stood near his bed. “I’m about to pass out from exhaustion. Can you look over Connor while I get at least 4 hours of sleep?” Leo nodded, but had to ask a question. “This guy is named Connor?” Don nodded. “Came from Georgia, 45 minutes from Atlanta. Last records show he was running from something 3 days ago and made his way here for some reason. Looks like he drove, and possibly crashed somewhere. I need more information, but I can’t get it until he wakes up and spills all of it.”

Leo got out of his bed and started to walk with Don back to the lab. Don split off and went right to sleep on the day bed he had set up in the lab. Leo watched the man in the infirmary, looking at his physical characteristics. He was white and had almost-waist length brown wavy hair that was looking rather matted after whatever adventure he was going through, and his ID explained the rest. “ _Why is a short, thin teenager in New York City in our lair, when he probably doesn’t know us or what we do?_ ”, Leo asked himself.

While still slowly pacing around, he saw a Casio calculator watch on the table next to Connor’s wallet. Don didn’t mention it, but that’s a sign the guy is probably a bit of a geek, or at least fashion-wise he was. Does that mean he has technological experience, or just a semblance of one? Also, the junkyard membership card and the multitool on the table maybe explained he has some sort of mechanical experience, which should help both Don and Raph out in fixing the lair and vehicles, if he were to stay of course, and most people just run away at the sight of the Turtles. Was that the “valuable tool” Splinter was referring to?

Leo tried to stop thinking. He was the leader, but he didn’t even have enough information to make a decision. The only decision he could make for himself is the decision to wait it out. He had to talk to Master Splinter and call off practice, since Connor would be the main priority for the day. While thinking about that exact conundrum, he got up out of his chair, and put water in the kettle and turned it on. The rest of the brothers gave Leo hell for not really knowing how to cook, but at least he could make tea. 

With his cup of green tea, and a teapot full of chai tea for Master Splinter, he slowly slid the shoji’s door open and set the tea on the side table. Leo then quietly walked out, trying not to wake his sensei. Going across the lair to the infirmary, he sipped his tea slowly while looking at the human who still lay there passed out.

A couple of hours later, Don woke up and looked at Leo in the infirmary. His eyes were fixated on the human who just lay there, his tea cup was empty, but Leo grasped around the cup like it owed him money. “Leo, are you okay?”, Don asked. 

Leo looked up at Don, and shook his head like he snapped out of some sort of trance. “Uhhh, I’m okay…” Don just looked at the human, about to speak as if he was reading Leo’s mind. “He’s a mystery, isn’t he? A man of unknown origins stumbled upon our lair, and somehow felt that he was home here, but not back in Georgia. Interesting, isn’t it?” Leo simply shook his head and walked out, unable to think past what Don just said. 

Don just stared at Leo in an aghast way. What was wrong with Leo now? Did he overthink the situation, or simply go into some sort of entranced state? 

Those questions weren’t the only ones on Don’s mind, however. It was just a waiting game seeing when Connor would wake up. There wasn’t any guarantee it would happen soon, but from the signs, he would wake up in a few hours, at least per the genius’ calculations of unconsciousness in humans and response to injuries.

Since it was about eight, Don could hear Raph getting up and walking down the stairs, the red tails of his mask trailing behind him as he made lumbering, tired steps down. Raph went straight for the coffee that was still in the coffeemaker, warmed by the plate on the bottom. It was still strong from when Don made it about six hours ago, exchanging sleep for caffeine. 

Don decided to take a break from researching traffic patterns of cars coming north via Interstate 95. There were well over 6,000 1984-to-1996 Ford vehicles driving up through the New Jersey toll booth camera systems in the past three days, 128 of those with valid Georgia registrations. Without knowing what exact model Connor was driving, he had no more leads. So, after that snuffed out research, Don decided to join Raph for breakfast.

Raph grunted as a sign of acknowledgement when Don walked in. Don reached into the cabinet and grabbed the biggest mug he had. This was going to be a long day, and he needed a lot of coffee to get through it. Not his fault he didn’t get all that much sleep, at least Don thought so. Better to blame it on the mysterious person while that was an excuse. Pouring the coffee into his mug, he thought about what to eat, and possibly what Connor should eat when he wakes up.

Right when Don sat down at the table, Raph asked “So, what’s goin’ on with that guy? Have you found anythin’ yet?” Don shook his head. “I’ve found some things that may relate to the type of person he is, but nothing about how he got here. He drove a late eighties to mid-nineties Ford car registered in Georgia, was possibly in an accident with it, was in a fight with someone with some sort of blade, and made his way down to the sewers. His name is Connor, and he’s 17 years old, lives in Georgia north of Atlanta. Other than that, I’m completely dumbfounded.”

Raph wasn’t the best judge of character, but he did have some insights that took the other brothers by surprise. However, this wasn’t one of those moments. Mikey should have been sitting at this table, but due to him playing video games until 1 in the morning, he was sound asleep. Leo was still practicing some basic katas in the dojo, but he stopped. Hearing both Raph and Don at the table was his sign to pack it up.

Leo walked out of the dojo and poured himself a bowl of cereal in the kitchen. “Practice is canceled until further notice. Sensei and I came to an agreement about it earlier this morning, whoever it is in that infirmary is our number one priority right now.” Don nodded and said “You probably heard what I told Raph just now. I’m lost.” Raph coughed up some of his cereal. “Donny, you’re never lost. Any challenge to ya is just a game. We’ll get answers from the guy in there and go from there. Right, Fearless?” Leo gave a nasty scorn to Raph, but did say “Yes, that is the plan for right now. I don’t even know what to do until that point.”

Right after Leo finished speaking, Mikey bounced out of his room and jumped over the railing, landing on the first floor. He dashed over to the kitchen and jumped over the stove while turning it on in mid-air, and opened the cabinet holding the pots and pans with his toe. He was about to make scrambled eggs, but he had to have breakfast with a show. 

“Why such the good mood, Mikey?”, Raph asked incredulously. The rest of the three brothers were shocked enough about that to not notice Master Splinter quietly sitting at the head of the table. Don looked around, and then almost dropped his mug. “Father? When did you get here?” Master Splinter simply smiled. “In the meantime between your brother’s little acrobatic exercise and now. Also, I would like to have some scrambled eggs if it’s not an issue, Michelangelo.”

Mikey nodded, since he was adding enough eggs to feed the six of them, since it is the five plus the new human. His brothers had the tendency to eat whatever is left out even if they didn’t want it at that specific moment. Master Splinter continued, however. “Donatello, do you have any information about the person you saved last night? I have informed Leonardo about some of his possible tendencies in relations with our family, and I guarantee you have already figured out what possible experience he has in terms of mentality and physical skill.”

Donatello hung his head down a little. “Father, I do not have an understanding of how this man arrived here, but I have caught a couple of hints about his technological and mechanical skills, however. He did not have all that much in the way of physical equipment on him, however, so I cannot be totally certain on what his past was.”

Master Splinter seemed to accept that explanation. “This man is a mystery...“ He paused for a second. “Without his own recognition, he will be hard to find any sort of breadcrumbs from, if you will. He is excellent at covering his tracks, even if it may be by accident, which I am afraid is what happened. This man has had some sort of traumatic experience this past three days, which may need quite a while of explaining to all of us. However, when he is open to explanation, he will explain. He is what you would call “brutally honest”, he does not cover up anything he does besides major secrets, I see that.”

The four brothers were listening with great focus to their father’s words. Don had to ask his father a question though. “Father, do you have any insight into what happened to this man?” Master Splinter nodded. “I explained this to Leo the night you came in with him. He was being chased by one of our enemies, I could sense that in the air. However, somehow that weak-looking man defeated six of their soldiers before leaving his home area.”

Don finished off his coffee and bowed to Master Splinter. He said, “I’m afraid I have to get back into the lab, if he wakes up I will call all of you to help me, on the event I need it.”

Don walked back into his lab, and looked at the screens set up for his computer and security systems. Nothing has been tripped or shows records of outsider movement, so that is all well. He looked at Connor’s phone before scratching his head. “ _Why is this guy here?_ ”, he asked himself yet again.

There was only one way to find out.


	2. Flashbacks

* * *

RECOMMENDED LISTENING:

“Red Roubles” - XS Project and Life of Boris

“Negative Phase” - Gopnik McBlyat

Both of these songs will be referenced in the recalling of the past, so why not listen to them? They’re Russian “hardbass” songs.

“Splinter - Original Mix” - Savant

Good happy-feely song, for after the flashback.

* * *

* * *

Monday, January 29, 2018, 12:43 PM

* * *

Connor barely opened his eyes. He wasn’t in the sewer tunnel anymore. Where was he though? It looked like some sort of hospital room, with a bed, whitewashed walls, and the vague smell of isopropyl alcohol. There were some bright lights on in this room, hung overhead anchored into some kind of concrete ceiling. 

Closing his eyes and shaking his head to shake off some of the weird feeling, he opened his eyes further as he sat up. He was on a hospital-style bed, with an IV running into his arm. It said “saline water” on it, so whoever found him strung him up. “Saline water? Why do I need to be rehydrated? Man, what the fuck did I do?” Connor said aloud, hoping someone may hear. It worked.

He heard a male voice call out “Guys! Come here!”, and then a few more male voices whispering just across the wall where the door was just a minute later. Who were these people, and where was he? Those people must have saved him. “I thought I was fuckin’ dead,” Connor said. Right after that, four green humanoid turtles and a anthropomorphic rat walked into the infirmary.

A turtle in a purple mask spoke to Connor first. “We found you in the sewers not far from here. You were unconscious, presumably from blood loss. I’m glad we found you, Mikey and Raph over here found you laying in tunnel C11.”, Don said as he gestured to the both of them. “I know you probably have some questions for us first, and then we have some for you. But first, we need to all be introduced. My name is Donatello, or Don for short. I’ve been watching over you with some help for the past 18 hours.”

Connor was confused. “Are you guys actually real, or am I dead?” Don chuckled a little bit in response. “You would have been dead if we hadn’t found you. It was only pure chance that we were searching the sewers and found you laying there.” Connor was relieved, but still curious. “So, you guys are actual... like… turtles. Not people in costumes, right?” Raph busted out laughing. “Pal, if we were humans in costumes, ya’d probably be havin’ a harder time right now. Don patched you up pretty well with his big turtle fingers.” 

He wasn’t kidding, Connor looked down and saw that each of the turtles had only three fingers on each hand. Don started talking again. “You have a variety of injuries, I would like to give you a physical exam after a while. I’m just glad you woke up so soon. We are wondering what happened to you to be here, but alas, at least you are safe.”

“So, where am I?”, Connor asked. It was the most obvious question that had to be asked, but it was like an elephant in the room. Master Splinter replied to the scared teenager. “Son, you are in our lair. We live in a safe area of the New York City sewers, and it’s hidden and secure. My sons are all trained ninjas, ever since they were small children I trained them. I guess you could say I “adopted” them, at least in human terms. We all would like to explain how we came to be later, but my mission today is to make you feel comfortable in our home, and as an extension of that, with us as a family. A common human expression for this is “Our home is your home”, if I am not mistaken.” Master Splinter explained. “Is there anything you need at the current moment?”, he asked. 

Connor had to think. The shock of being both found by weird human turtle things and a weird father rat thing was bad enough, but them having even the ability to save him from impending death and making him comfortable in their home? Weird.

“Well, I am kind of hungry. I’m afraid a saline drip won’t do much for hunger, anyway. So, Donatello, right? Can you take me off this IV?” Don nodded. “I will. What will you like to eat?”, Don asked as he carefully removed the needle from Connor’s left arm. “I’m in the mood for Asian food. Do you guys got potstickers?”, Connor asked curiously. Mikey immediately piped up. “Well, potstickers are gyoza, so maybe we can get to Mr. Murakami’s and get some pizza gyoza?” Leo had to reply with the obvious. “Well, it is a special occasion. However, we will need to also need to get a regular order of gyoza, in case Connor doesn’t like the pizza ones.” Mikey quickly left to the sewers to get to Mr. Murakimi’s restaurant, calling in the order. 

Connor asked, “How do you know my name…. Leonardo, is it?” Leo nodded. “Yes, my name is Leonardo. Feel free to call me Leo. We found your ID in your wallet with a variety of small other things. We have your things in the next room. However, your clothing is torn and dirty, so we will need to find some more. There is some more explanation that needs to be done, but that’s after we eat. You must be hungry.”

Connor nodded. “I’m pretty damn hungry. Do you guys got anything to drink?” Leo replied, “Yes, we have just about anything to drink, what would you like?” “Water sounds good for now. I don’t wanna go chugging down sodas as soon as I wake up from being passed out for 18 hours.” Leo chuckled, “You sound like Michelangelo, the turtle that just left to get our food. He only really drinks sodas unless we force him to drink something else.” Connor laughed, just looking around. Don, Raph, and Leo were happy to see him awake, and Master Splinter had a joyous look on his face. 

Connor started to talk again, feeling a little eased, even when most people would be freaking out at the current moment. “Also, I am a little worried. I have no sorts of clothes with me or anything besides my work uniform, which I heard were pretty beaten up. Also the rest of my stuff is in my car, which is about an hour from here.” Don perked up at the thought of a car. “You drove here?” “Yeah, I did. I don’t really feel comfortable with sharing what happened me that night… but I guess you guys have to find out. You guys don’t seem like the guys to keep secrets from, especially guys that can beat the shit out of you without even a single glance. Man, I’m fuckin’ hungry. When’s the food gonna be here?”

Master Splinter cringed at the crude language the teenager used while Raph laughed. “I’ll call Mikey real quick. He should be on his way back.” Raph pulled his shell cell from this belt and dialed Mikey’s number. “Hey Mikey, Connor’s wondering when food’s gonna be here. Hurry it up bro, he’s hungry.” Connor chuckled in the background. Raph listened to Mikey say, “I’m almost there, give me three minutes.” Raph hung up the phone, looking back at Connor. “You guys must be pretty close to deal with each other. Four turtles that came from I-dunno-where acting like a real family with a father from an entirely different species.” 

Master Splinter simply smiled. “We’re closer than most human families, you could say. Ever since they were children they were trained under my guidance. Also, their personalities tend to work together for the better, which looking at it as a father and not a sensei, makes me proud of all of them and their achievements.” The turtles all chuckled, not really used to compliments like that. 

Not long after that, however, Mikey barged in with a plastic bag full of food. “Come on guys, let’s eat. I know Connor’s hungry, I am too!” Mikey leapt to the dining room table, splitting the gyoza up into six plates. Connor was about to walk out of the infirmary door before stopping dead in his tracks. “Can I take this gown off? I’ll rather wear my old clothes than this thing that makes me feel like I’m wearing a dress…” Don laughed. “You guys all go, I’ll get him his clothes. Master Splinter, Leo, and Raph left for the kitchen as Don walked into his lab, and only a few seconds later appeared with Connor’s work uniform, neatly folded. “Here’s your clothes..., and oh! Hang on...“ Don reached over and grabbed Connor’s watch. “I love this watch, by the way. It’s so cool. Anyway, feel free to change. Bathroom is the first right after you get out of the lab.” 

Don left the lab for the kitchen, and sat down. Not three seconds later, Connor appeared out of the lab, trying to sneak over to the bathroom. He completely failed that however, since he saw all of the Hamato family staring at him. Embarrassed, Connor rushed into the bathroom, shut the door, and twisted the lock on the doorknob. “ _God, that was embarrassing,_ ” Connor thought. “ _They all probably looked at my ass when I was coming in here, too… God damnit._ ”

Two minutes later, Connor was dressed in his abused clothing. It was better than nothing, and it was especially better than that hospital gown he was in. He walked out of the bathroom, and sat down at the empty seat at the dining room table. Before he even had the chance to ask what type of gyoza it was, Mikey started to answer for him. “The red ones are pizza flavor ones. They’re awesome. The normal ones are the normal gyoza color.” Connor was about to dig into the food, but then realized something.

“Uhh, guys, do you have a fork? I can’t use chopsticks to save my life.” All five of the others either laughed or chuckled. “Sure we do, they’re in the drawer on the right of the stove.” Leo mentioned. Mikey blushed. “I forget there’s people who can’t use chopsticks.” Raph had to butt in with a jab. “Mikey, there’s a lot of things you forget.” Master Splinter had to stop that. “Raphael, Michelangelo, I must ask you both to cease the bickering. We have a guest in the house.” Connor didn’t know how to react to that, but even the recognition he was a guest in their house was a very human-like trait.

“So, how did you guys come to exist? I know I’m a mystery now, but you guys are a complete unknown to me right now.”, Connor stated. “So why am I looking at some weird humanoid turtles and a human-like rat right now?” Connor bit into his first pizza gyoza at the same time, making a scrunched up face. “Whatever this is… it’s weird. Why does a gyoza taste like pizza? I mean… I like it… but it’s an acquired taste for sure.” Mikey started talking about the gyoza, obviously dodging the actual question. “See!!! I knew he’d like it!”

Leo eventually had to say the inevitable. “Yes Mikey, pizza gyoza are pretty good, but Connor is still unconvinced, give him some time. Anyway, the origin story of us, in a nutshell. Our father mutated first, he was doused in mutagen on accident, along with the rest of us. He found us in the sewers as he was trying to hide after he fled from Japan. Still in a human form, he bumped into a man we now know as Kraang on the street. He was carrying some sort of ooze in a flask, that ooze is now what we know as mutagen. It turns you into a hybrid of the last thing you touched.”

Leo had to pause, but continued, with the others agreeing with his explanation. “That mutagen spilled all over our father and us as a result. The last thing that touched him was a rat in the sewers, so he turned into a rat. He still has all the tendencies of a human, obviously, but he’s now a rat in body. The last thing we touched was our father in a human form, so we turned into a human-turtle hybrid, human in stature and function, but turtle in other regards. Also if you wonder where the name “Splinter” comes from, it’s an alias he made after he fled from Japan to the United States. His real name is Hamato Yoshi, it still is his legal name in Japan.”

Master Splinter just smiled. “It has been a challenge for me personally, both coming to terms of turning from a human into a rat, as well as figuring out how to be a father and a ninja master at the same time.” Connor could only think. “Wow, your lives must have been so complicated, at least compared to mine. I must ask another question though: Why do you guys live down here?”

Master Splinter replied in a tactful yet concise way. “I’m afraid that my sons and I have been in various states of danger from other clans and organizations since we mutated 16 years ago. Since we are mutants after all, you cannot do anything in the outside world without being caught and possibly killed if not worse. So, for the first 14 years of their lives, I trained them down here, in the sewers. They have learned the ways of ninjutsu and are all skilled ninjas able to fight in any situation, even if it doesn’t seem as such at first glance.”

Connor had a look of understanding, as he finally admitted something. “I think I’m ready to share my story, at least of why I may be here. I think we should go into Don’s lab, since I think I may need to divulge some private information before telling you all the rest of the story. Don, can we go so I can tell you where I exactly was at the start of this story?”

Don nodded. He got up and put his plate in the sink, for someone else to get. There was a new priority, and it wasn’t the dishes this time.

Don and Connor walked into the lab, as Don sat at the computer, and Connor on a side stool. “So, here’s what happened. My story started at 6:12 PM Friday night. I noticed a murdered-out van was tailing me as I drove home, it had some sort of symbol on the doors. It was a red and white…. What looked like a foot. The people inside had black masks on, and looked completely average. You know who those guys could possibly be?”

Don looked in sheer terror. “The Foot clan. We have been fighting with them ever since we have existed. Their leader is our biggest sworn enemy, a man by the name of Shredder.” Connor shivered at the name itself. “So, I know you’re a genius and all, right? You think you can get into the Foot’s servers and get a video pulled up? I saw their van had a camera pointing out the windshield, so maybe they recorded our entire scene?” Don’s eyes lit up. “Yes, I can get that immediately. 6:12 PM Friday starting, right? Let’s see….” Don typed in some PuTTY codes to get into their server. He’s used this backdoor quite a few times, but he was especially anxious about finding out some information like this.

Don asked a question that was rather obvious. “So, we’re about to bring up the feed from the van. What car were you driving, since I heard you mention something about the traffic?” Connor replied with “I was driving my car, a 1991 Ford Escort. It’s “Vermillion Red” in color. You should be able to see it, since we had a chase ongoing for about twenty minutes. I’m going to call the guys in here now, you’re about to get the feed loaded up, right?” Don nodded. “Go for it. I’m ready, and it looks like you are.”

Connor leaned out of the lab and called to the remaining family. “Hey guys, I finally have it set up to where I can tell this story, so come in here already! I’ll set up some chairs.”

Leo, Raph, Mikey, and Splinter all got comfortable in the lab, with the feed from the van ready to be played for them all on the biggest screen of Don’s. Connor started with a disclaimer. “So, I have to preface this by saying this all happened. All of it. I was getting off work at this moment, I just clocked out and got into my car, expecting to just go home and relax. However, that didn’t happen, instead I was chased by six members of the Foot clan for some reason. So just watch, and enjoy the antics, I guess?” Connor chuckled to himself at that last phrase.

* * *

Friday, January 26, 2018, 6:08 PM 

Buford, Georgia

This section is going to be mostly a large flashback, but commentary provided from the current time in the story between everyone.

* * *

Connor got into his car by twisting his key in the door. He had just clocked out of work and said his goodbyes to his coworkers. Nothing was going on in his head but thinking about the terrible traffic that was on Route 20 at the current time. It was rush hour, and everyone, like he was, were trying to get home. He started his car, and backed out of his parking spot. He paid no attention to the black van that was parked next to him, as it has been that way for the past week. Maybe a new hire drove it? It looked cool, at least. 

The van was roughly a 2004-2007 Chevy Express van with a bunch of modifications at first glance, such as a roof rack, tinted windows, and off-road all-terrain tires. Connor was in first gear getting out of the parking lot, slowly easing off the clutch and getting going. Too bad that plan of just going home was about to be ruined. 

He had just finally got an opening onto the right lane when he noticed that van slowly easing into the right lane as well. “Who is this guy?”, Connor wondered. It seemed like no big deal, just someone from work had to go home the same way he did. Traffic was terrible, though. The van stayed back about four cars from the teenager, unknown to him that he was being tailed. Turning right onto Interstate 985 North, however, is when that creepy gut feeling kicked in. That damn van was still there in his rear-view mirror five minutes later.

Raph commented first, “You had better get the fuck outta there before the Foot catches ya,” intent on watching this like it was a football game, anticipating plays and moves.

Connor was merging onto the highway, with a bit more pace than usual. He cut off a car due to wanting to get away from this van as quickly as possible. Banging the rev-limiter on every shift, his poor Escort was getting a workout. He was on the very top of third gear, shifting into fifth, and easing it up to seventy-five miles per hour at that point, only five above the limit, and the speed of traffic. 

That van was still there a couple of minutes later. Connor knew whoever was in there was intent on chasing him home, so he had to come up with a plan quick. The exit for Friendship Road was upcoming, so he decided to turn there instead of Exit 16 to get home. This was going to be the back way, but whatever. He then noticed the van creeping ever closer to his back bumper, which allowed Connor to look inside the van. There was a camera, and two people in black masks in the front seats. 

That didn’t help his paranoia. Flicking on his right turn signal for exit 8, he eased off the highway and slowed down carefully, as a normal driver would, not putting out any red flags. When the green light for the left-turn lane turned on, the van was just getting off the exit, noticing Connor turning left. In the video, you could hear the female Foot screaming “Catch him you bastard!”

Connor slid over to the right lane of Friendship Road, sticking to 5 miles per hour over the limit going straight, until he decided to make a right turn onto McEver Road. It was a relatively straight road, with some corners here and there. It was also to be used as a diversion for the van. Connor looked at his phone in the mount. He forgot he had his Russian hardbass playlist playing, which was fine for the current mood. 

As he turned right onto McEver, a minute passed at the speed limit. “Red Roubles” came on the radio through Bluetooth, and its timing could not be ever more perfect. As Boris said “In Soviet Russia,” the van switched to a different tail. In the video, the female Foot finally convinced the driver to get closer. A second later, Boris’ lyrics switched to “hardbass play you, blyat”. At that exact moment, the Foot van cut into oncoming traffic to overtake a Honda Accord that was behind Connor, getting right on Connor’s rear bumper. The main beat of the song kicked in right then, and Connor decided it was time to go.

Don was still in amazement at the move the van made for such an insignificant gain. Raph was pissed, considering he wouldn’t even make that move when tailing someone. 

Connor rev-match downshifted into third gear, ready to take off. He put his foot to the floor. 50….55….60….65… bordering on 70 miles per hour. The van was still right on his bumper. Fourth gear. The van was still there. “This isn’t going to be an easy chase, but God damn it will I make it out,” Connor said to himself, with the throttle still pinned. The turtles couldn’t hear it, but they figured something like that happened. The GPS speed on the video said the van was at 83 miles per hour at the moment. 

Connor’s Escort wasn’t the fastest thing in the world by a stretch. It barely got up to three digits before a corner. Slowing it down only using engine braking, the car barely cleared the corner at 67 miles per hour, with the tires squealing in pain. The Chevy van couldn’t hold that much corner speed due to the modifications, but it did have the power advantage. Connor used that, keeping his foot on the floor in fourth gear. The van finally caught up to Connor only seven seconds later, but that seven seconds was enough. The chase continued like this, before they started to enter closer to downtown Flowery Branch. They both blew the red light on Jim Crow and McEver, because there was hardly any traffic. Connor put his car into neutral, stopping acceleration. It wasn’t to slow down, but it was for fooling the Foot to think his car was slower than it is. It worked for a second, because the van backed off a hair.

Connor stabbed the brakes on, borderline to the point of lockup to make a right onto Radford Road. It was a little more technical now. Gunning it in second gear, he got to 50 miles per hour before shifting into third. The van was still behind him, but barely. “Hehe, I have the home advantage here buddy,” Connor thought to himself. The song “Negative Phase” came on the radio, signifying maybe something would happen with that damn van soon.

The rest of the Hamato family were surprised with Connor’s driving skills. He used the “Scandinavian flick” rally technique into a couple of corners to get the front end to bite in more than it had, since in most front-wheel-drive compact cars, terminal understeer was their biggest issue. Balancing the understeer out with oversteer made the car easier to handle, instead provoking the car into a four wheeled slide on corner entry. He knew how to handle that Escort like it was the back of his hand, and it showed.

Going over the railroad tracks, Connor had a gap of three car lengths on the van. The male Foot driver was grunting, indicating his struggle in this chase. He could barely keep up in his van, with three times the power of Connor’s Escort. Connor was in mid-air as he jumped the railroad tracks. The van didn’t jump them, however, due to its off-road suspension setup and heavy weight. Connor slowed down a hair, about to turn left onto Atlanta Highway. There was no traffic, so no reason to stab on the brakes. He flicked the Escort into the corner using the aforementioned technique, much to the surprise of the Hamato family. Connor had the Escort fully sideways, using countersteer down the hill to make the car turn at a much higher speed than it normally would. When he added throttle, the front wheels started to pull the car straight.

Using the throttle, he balanced the car right on the limit of adhesion. There was only shock from the passengers in the van. The male Foot said “Holy shit, he’s a damn good driver. How could you not account for this?” The female Foot screamed, “How would I know? He’s a fucking teenager, how else would I know how skilled he was??? Most teenagers are utter shit at driving!”

Going straight through the light on the intersection between Atlanta Highway and Thurmon Tanner, Connor kept his foot to the floor. Surprisingly, there still was no traffic, especially during rush hour like this was supposed to be.

The van now had the advantage, since this was another straight bit of road. The corner Connor took sideways at 55 miles per hour was too much for the van, the male Foot had to back it down to 35. But now, he caught back up. The chase was a game of “see how close the Foot van could get” before Connor had to make a corner. This was another one. Connor still looked like he was about to go straight through the light on Martin Road, before doing another rally maneuver to make it a quick right. 

The Foot members in the van were surprised as well. Their van had anti-lock brakes, so they could easily just stab on the brakes and make the corner, albeit barely. The brakes in the van were starting to get hot, reducing their effectiveness. Too bad Connor would do this again in half a mile.

Feinting a straight move to continue going on Martin Road, Connor swerved left onto J.M. Turk Road. The van did the same maneuver, but instead of ending up on the road, he was on the grass. The male Foot member groaned, “My brakes are fuckin’ shot, if we have any more of this shit we have to do I’m gonna have no brakes!” The female Foot shrieked “Just do it already! If the brakes fail, you can drive them out, right?” The female Foot member couldn’t be any more wrong.

Raph was sitting on the sidelines snickering. “Bitch, do you know how brakes work? The brakes on that van aren’t made for bruising up a back road! They will overheat!” Don also had that same thought. “The brakes on that Chevy van aren’t ventilated very well, and they have been using the full power of the ABS system for pretty much every stop in this chase. The brakes can’t radiate enough heat to get them to cool, especially with the way Connor was driving. Connor, I have to give it to you, you know exactly the advantages and disadvantages about every car you can look at.”

Raph replied, “Well, here’s your walking encyclopedia of cars right here Brainiac… Right Connor?” Connor only blushed and hung his head down. He knew what happens next, but the rest of them don’t… at least not yet. He knew this road like the back of his hand. There was a first section with a straight mostly flat terrain, with only a couple of mild corners. However, there was a tight section coming up. It was deadly if you’re going too hot. Connor snickered. The van was going to go in too hot, and his brakes won’t slow him down enough. 

That section was coming up. About a few hundred feet ahead was a very tight blind right turn, coming up to it was a steep downhill. At normal road speeds, it’s scary in and of itself. But at these speeds, it’s harrowing. Connor knew what to do, first stabbing his brakes on right at the edge of lockup at the very last second and cutting the steering wheel right to keep it in between the lines. The van behind him, however, did it all wrong. The male Foot said, “Oh shit, we have no brakes. Oh fuck!” The van barely slowed down, barreling into a 25 mile per hour corner at 55 miles per hour. He couldn’t make it. The driver of the van knew that. So he braced for impact. The van clipped the edge of the road, the inner rear tire getting caught in the dirt. Connor pulled his car over and slammed on the brakes, popped it into Neutral and got out as he heard a loud tire squeal followed by a rhythmic thumping noise.

On the video, the van rolled over 4 times, landing on its wheels. The video cut out right at that point, going to a black screen.

* * *

Present time

* * *

“I’m going to give you all some time to recuperate from watching that….” Connor commented. 

Don was the first to ask a question. “How did you learn those skills? Not every 17 year old knows how to drive like that, especially with only 5 months of experience on their licenses.”

Connor wasn’t fazed by that question, even one bit. “It’s a mixture of things. First off, I played a lot of racing games before I even started driving, so I knew how to get the perfect corner entry or correct for understeer. Also, my mechanical knowledge of cars helps, since during that whole chase a background thought of what was going on with my car in real-time helps me consider what moves to make in accordance with what I’m feeling. I know I have drum brakes in the back of my car, and the feel from the pedal confirmed they were starting to get hot.”

Raph was shocked. “I have a mechanical mind, both me and Donny do really. But to visualize what’s going on with your car as you are in a full-throttle chase from an enemy…. How did you not know you were special in any way?”

“I guess I’ve just never had the chance to use it until then, I suppose,” Connor surmised. “I knew I had some decent driving skills, but none like these. Maybe when I was being chased, the “rational human” part of my brain shut off, reverting to all feel and mechanical skill at that point.” Master Splinter smiled at that revelation. “Leonardo, remember when I said he may become a valuable tool in our team? I think we have proof of this exact concept right here in that video.” 

Connor then decided to continue on his story, considering the reaction he got so far was good. “So, anyway. Can I continue with the story of why I’m maybe here?” All of the Hamato family nodded. “So, after the van rolled over, I walked up to the driver’s door. The driver fell out, looking like he was knocked out with the steering wheel. In the back were 4 Foot soldiers, and since there was no seat belts in the back of their van, all of their equipment went flying around, injuring all of them. The female in the passenger’s seat, however, still had her eyes open. After five seconds, she screamed and leapt across the van.”

After a pause, Connor continued. “I backed away as quickly as I can. That woman was a sort of trained fighter, and I was a wimpy teenager who outdrove her coworker. She was pissed… Like rage was a fire lit in her eyes. She had some kind of red sash on her shoulder though, unlike the rest of the guys in that van.”

Raph immediately growled. “She was a damn leader…. Who would have fuckin’ known?” Splinter glared at him with the ‘annoyed father’ look, and said “Language, Raphael.”

Connor continued. “She had a sort of syringe in her hand, she launched it into my left arm. It had something… purple in it. It hurt when the needle went in, but whatever went into me burned. Right after it went into my system, it felt like I was suddenly stronger and could fight her. She had a couple of swords in her hands when she got out of the van, totally expecting to kill me right then and there.” 

Don instantly figured out what it was. “It looks like it was some sort of mutagen without the mutating properties. It increases strength for a short period of time, and makes the victim have a reduced mental capacity except for certain actions.”

Connor nodded. “I felt like the only thing I could think about was fighting this woman. I’m guessing it was the opposite reaction than she wanted, considering she was maybe considering forcing me into the Clan. However, that didn’t happen. I went all Hulk-mode. I dodged her blades, except she did get me right here,” Connor said as he felt his stitched skin below his collarbone. “I gripped her left arm so hard the bone cracked. She cried out in pain and dropped her sword. I grabbed it and as she was on the ground clutching her arm, I went under her neck and sliced it open while she was kneeling on the ground.”

All of the Turtles shivered at the thought of that, Connor the teenager, being a brutal executioner. Master Splinter piped up and calmly asked, “Son, what reason did you have for ending that woman’s life?” Connor didn’t actually know why he did, but it was an instinct. He stammered out, “W-w-...-well, I don’t actually know. I don’t know how to fight to defend myself all that much, and in my mutagen-and-adrenaline addled brain, I thought the only option was to disable her…. Just permanently. She was some type of leader as Raph mentioned too, so I guess I can feel better about it. If she had such a vendetta to kill me, why couldn’t it work in reverse?”

Master Splinter could only do one thing. “Son, I want my sons to train you. You don’t need to be the dedicated ninja fighters my sons are, but I want to see you gain strength and also learn how to defend yourself without any rash decisions like you made three days ago. Is that clear?”

Connor could only agree. “Yes Master Splinter. That sounds like a great proposition.” Master Splinter smiled and said to the turtles, “I guess we have a new student in our midst. Also, Connor, I would like you to call me “Sensei” from now on, since I will be your sensei in all of this. You are also now an equal to my sons, and as such, Leonardo is your leader. Do you agree to that?” Connor replied with, “Yes, I do agree to those conditions Sensei. Also, may I continue my story?”

Master Splinter nodded. He did want to hear more of the story that drove Connor to their lair, anyway. 

“So, after defeating that Foot woman, I took her sword and threw it into the back of my car, cleaning it off with the rag I used to clean the dipstick after checking my oil. I kept it for obvious reasons, if I left it at the scene, my fingerprints would be all over it,” Connor continued. The Hamato family were actually surprised at that move, a teenager in an experience like that had the thought of covering his innocence? “I had the feeling like I had to get the hell out of Dodge. I got back into my car, and a mile down the road I called 911. Don, you probably saw that in my phone.”

Don nodded. “Yep, I saw it. It intrigued me, to say the least.” Connor smiled. “Well, that wasn’t to actually get help from the police, but it was to get those Foot guys locked up. I called 911 and then said…. “Hello, I was just driving on J.M. Turk Road, and I was witness to a car accident. I saw a big black van rolling over on that one tight right handed downhill corner. I saw two people get out of it, one looked to be male and the other female. The female was on the ground, she looked like she was bleeding.”

The operator asked, “And you couldn’t do anything in that situation?” Connor replied, “I’m afraid I do not have any first aid equipment in my car, and they looked like some sort of……” The operator asked, “Sort of what, honey?” “Some sort of g...gang. Their van had some sort of logo with a foot on it in red and white, and both of them had all black clothing on, with that same logo on their shoulders. I don’t know if you know who they may be, but I got scared, started driving away, and that was when I called you. I cannot give any more information, I am afraid. Have you sent an ambulance and possibly police?”

The operator said simply, “Yes, I have. Thank you for the anonymous tip, these guys in our records line up to some sort of federal threat, some sort of secretive fighter clan. Thank you for the help, I am afraid that the simple accident you noticed was part of something bigger. I’ll hang you up.”

Connor’s Bluetooth call cut out. 

“So, after I called 911 and the operator hung up, my first thought was to get somewhere with a lot of cars moving in and out, to hide myself in some kind of sea of fish,” Connor continued. “I went to the nearest shopping center and parked in the middle of all of the cars. Whatever mutagen was in me made me feel weird, like I belonged somewhere else than home, really. I Googled “Why do I feel weird and feel like I belong somewhere else”, it gave me no answers. I’m guessing it was the mutagen having an opposite reaction. My head was screaming “Get to New York City…. Get in the sewers in Midtown.”

Master Splinter looked in curiosity. “Son, would it have been because us as a family must have been the only safe place you could find?” Connor nodded. “I assume so. I don’t know what was going on in my head, but it was just saying “Get to New York” over and over again. I decided not to ignore it, and I might as well get out of Georgia as soon as I possibly could. I went into the store, bought some food and drinks for the trip, and got underway.”

“The trip was rather uneventful on the way up. I stopped in Charlotte at 10 o’clock Friday night. I checked into a Motel 6 and got some sleep. I woke up at eight Saturday morning, getting my car and getting out of there as quickly as possible. This mutagen stuff was still making me find some sort of protection, so I guess it helped me there. There was no one following me, thankfully. The trip was a solid 75 miles per hour with little traffic, which was great. I followed Interstate 85 all the way into Virginia, where I got onto 95 for the remainder of the trip.”

Raph commented this time. “Where were you going to go with a car that has evidence of murder in it?” That was a great question, but Connor had the answer as soon as he saw the signs. “You know the joke, “How do you hide a stolen cow? Hide it in a field of other cows”? I did exactly that. Signs pointing to the Newark airport were over my head as I was in New Jersey, so I decided to park there in one of their monitored 24-hour parking lots.” Connor also asked a question, “Do any of you guys have an idea about how I can get my car back, and where I can park it when I do?”

Don answered for Raph. “We have a garage, it opens up right to the street. I’ll show it to you after you finish your story, but we definitely have extra space for a car or even two.” Connor showed a look of appreciation. “Man, thank God. I hate working on a dirt driveway. Anyway, with the rest of the story. I parked up in the airport, and took a bus from the airport to the Port Authority drop-off station. That wasn’t too far from where my head told me to go, so I walked around and ducked down an alley. I saw a manhole cover, and hopped down in there.”

Mikey asked, “Did you know exactly where to go, or did you just guess?” Connor smiled. “I guessed. I had my phone’s flashlight on, but it died about five minutes after I got into the sewers. I decided to lay down and possibly get some sleep, which I did. I slept about six hours, but then I woke up. I was in major pain, and the mutagen completely wore off. I didn’t know where I was or how I got there, but I knew I was in some sort of sewer tunnel, and there was an orange work light flickering off and on. Soon after I woke up though, I passed out.” 

Raph said, “So that’s when we found ya, passed out in the sewers.” Connor nodded. “That was my entire story, I think it might be time for dinner. Leo, I know you need to plan some kind of recon to get my car back, but there also some things I need to do too. I have no clothing or even anything on me besides what I’m wearing right now. And I need a shower….”

Leo decided on a plan as Master Splinter left the lab. “Don and Raph, you are going with Connor tonight to pick his car up out of the garage. Mikey, you’re here keeping him company, if that’s alright with him of course.” Connor nodded. “I’ll call April and I’ll go with her to get some clothing for him before you guys go out tonight.”

Mikey hopped out of the lab ready to make dinner. On the menu were grilled cheese sandwiches, because they were easy to make, and everyone liked them. Leo asked Connor “What clothing size do you wear?” Connor replied with, “I wear a men’s small shirt, boy’s size 16 pants, and men’s size 8 shoes.” Leo said as he wrote onto an old napkin, “I’ll make a note of that, is there anything else you need?” “I do need some underwear and socks and some toiletries. My hair needs washed and I don’t know if the type of shampoo and conditioner you guys have will work with it. Find something specifically for thick, non-porous hair. Is this April lady a friend of yours?”, Connor asked. 

Leo nodded as he scribbled onto the napkin. “She found us a couple of years ago, she was a researcher at the TCRI plant, which created the mutagens that mutated all of us and made you go into blackout mode for the last two days.” Connor stiffened. “Don’t worry about her,” Leo continued, as if he was feeling the tension. “She’s a personal friend, and her boyfriend Casey has had run-ins with an enemy clan of ours. They’re both allies, and they’ve both helped us in times of need. Raph and Casey fight together against a rival gang called the Purple Dragons.” Raph grunted in the corner, as he was listening to Don.

Connor was relieved. He was just about to stress out about whoever this was, but a human couple who was friendly to the turtles seemed like a show of comfort to the unnerved teenager. “Any port in a storm, I guess,” Connor thought to himself. 

“Alright, I’m going to take a shower. Do you guys have any shampoo in there?”, Connor asked. Raph replied, “We do, it’s April’s spare shampoo though. It oughta work at least for right now, I hope.” Connor nodded in reply, and set off for the bathroom, while Leo left the lab and went to the dojo to practice some katas. On the way out, Leo asked Raph if he wanted to spar, but Raph replied with a curt “Well, I would Fearless, but I gotta help Donny plan this “get the fuckin’ Escort outta Newark” plan.” Leo was expecting that answer anyway, so he left.

Connor walked into the bathroom, turned on the light and fan, and closed and locked the door behind him, as a force of habit. The bathroom was quite large compared to most human bathrooms, especially the bathtub. He should probably ask about that, since it was so intriguing, but it wasn’t a priority. A piece of paper with red printing on it caught Connor’s eye as he looked around. It said, “To get hot water, push this lever to where it’s vertical, and wait two minutes for the water heater to kick on…. -Don” 

“Don already knew that I was going to take a shower, so he made instructions?”, Connor asked himself. He then flipped the lever to a vertical position, and started to get undressed to wait for the water heater to start running. A thrum started to sound in the bathroom, so it was time.

The shower knob and head looked similar to the one he used at home, with hot on the left and cold on the right, and pulling it out to get water to flow. Connor turned the shower all the way to the right and then backed it off a bit, to make sure it wouldn’t scald him, and then turned the shower on. Getting in, the immediate feel of the hot water was a surprise, but it was at the perfect temperature. The shampoo on the side was some L’Oreal branded stuff for a different type of hair than his, which meant it was going to get greasy fast, but at least that was better than nothing.

As Connor was washing himself in the shower, all five members of the Hamato family were doing something else. Master Splinter was in his favorite chair in the living room, watching his ongoing series of soap operas. The Turtles didn’t understand the soap operas, but their father loved them. Mikey was in his room drawing an action shot of Connor being chased by the Foot van in his Escort, the point of view through the windshield as the Escort was fully sideways with a big black van being seen through the rear driver’s side window.

Leo was in the living room. He had his shell cell in his hand, dialing April’s number. After two rings, April picked up. “Hey, Leo! How’s it going?” “Everything’s going well, but I need your help with someone… and there’s a lengthy backstory attached. Also, I’d like Casey to come, since this may involve him eventually. Raph’s here, they could watch football together or something. We have a few beers left in the fridge.” “Okay, I think we both can come over. Give us fifteen minutes?” “That sounds good, April. We’ll be waiting.”

Raph and Don were in the lab, planning on how to get the Escort out of the parking garage. The bus services stopped running at midnight, after the time they planned to get the car out of Newark. Raph said, “Why don’t we all go down there in the Battle Shell, and me and Connor can get out and get his car, while you lead us back home?” Don thought about it. “There are no other overland ways we can get into Jersey without taking the George Washington Bridge, and taking a cab would be prohibitively expensive... Sure. Why not, Raph.” Raph smiled in reaction. “Donny, do you have that old EzPass reader laying around? We’ll need it for the Escort, getting through the Lincoln Tunnel.”

Don’s eyes lit up. “We have it somewhere in the garage, we’ll look when Connor gets out of the shower. Also, I think Leo’s calling April. We might need to get into the living room soon.” He dug into a box and exclaimed, “Haha, I got it. I still believe it’s linked to April’s van though, so when we get there I have to link it to the Escort’s tag number.” Raph grunted and walked into the living room, Don soon after. Leo walked over to Splinter’s chair, to inform him of the guests coming over. “Father, I have invited April and Casey over, because I need April’s help with buying new clothing for Connor, and Casey should know what is going on as well.”

Master Splinter smiled towards Leo. “That sounds like a great plan. I will look forward to having Miss O’Neil’s and Mister Jones’ company soon. I probably should turn off my show, for I do not know if they will appreciate the intricacies of Amanda and John’s relationship.” Leo just laughed. “That is a wise decision.”

* * *

4:38 PM

* * *

Ten minutes later, Connor stepped out of the shower and dried off. His waist-length hair was a magnet for water, hence it took forever to dry it out. His technique was to lay the towel over his face and back, then twist the back of his hair into the towel as the front part tightened around his scalp. That got most of the water out, but the towel was now waterlogged. 

Grabbing another rolled up towel off the shelf, he dried the rest of his body while flipping the hot water lever back down at the same time. Nearer the door, he heard laughing from the Turtles, Master Splinter, and two new voices, one belonging to a female, and another with a Brooklyn accent, not all too dissimilar from Raph’s voice. Connor looked around, his work uniform clothes were sneakily replaced with a plain white T-shirt and a pair of gray sweatpants. Opening the door after getting dressed, Connor called out in a deep tone, “Who picked this lock? I expected at least some privacy while taking a shower, guys!”

Right after he said that though, he noticed seven people staring right at him. The female voice seemed to belong to this redheaded woman who looked like she was in her early twenties. The male voice belonged to the man who was next to her, he was about 6 feet tall and had a muscular build. He was a fellow long haired guy, with his hair brushing against his shoulders. He and Raph had automatic attention in each others’ eyes. “They must be friends,” Connor thought to himself. Not like he could actually say anything with all of those eyes boring holes in him.

“Uhhhh……” was the only thing Connor could say. April noticed he was a little nervous, so she broke the ice. “Hello, Connor. My name is April O’Neil.” She held out her hand expecting a handshake, but Connor hugged her lightly. “You don’t know what kind of relief it is seeing a human, you know?”, Connor said. April chuckled a bit, seeing his mood calm down. “You could call me the Turtles’ big sister. I mostly help them with getting certain materials or other things, as well as provide some guidance. I think you need some of my help, I’m afraid. Most people can’t deal without this entire experience without some sort of mental breakdown.” 

As April finished her sentence, Mikey said, “Oooh, oooh! I need to give you guys dinner! Connor, you must be starving!” Mikey bounced around the kitchen, finding paper plates for everyone. He had planned in advance, making a feast of sandwiches, 17 in total. Two each, and three for Connor. Connor just laughed, saying, “Thanks Mikey, but there’s really no rush. This is usually earlier than I normally eat dinner…” Mikey dismissed the comment with a misplaced wave in the air. He bent down into the oven, grabbing the sandwiches out of the oven, where they were kept hot.

Mikey came in juggling five plates in his arms, balancing a sixth on his head. “I’ve got it, don’t worry.” Raph just looked down and shook his head. This was a typical ‘Mikey’ move as all of them were concerned. Setting the plates down, he grabbed the last two plates, setting one down in front of where he was sitting, and a plate with three sandwiches on it in front of Connor. “Jesus, Mikey! I didn’t need three sandwiches….” Connor started to say as he trailed off, biting into the top one. “You know what, now I get why you gave me three sandwiches.” The first sandwich was gone in about fifteen seconds. Mikey laughed as he said, “I knew it!”

Connor then asked after eating the sandwich, “So, you must be Casey?” Casey grunted in response. “Have you both been filled in on my story so far?” Leo nodded and replied, “I gave them the twenty-minute rundown.” April piped into the conversation now. “Leo told me you needed clothing, which is a given for the situation, really. So, I’m going to go out with Leo after we finish eating to do some shopping for you, with help from Casey. I added a few more things to the list, if you don’t mind.” Connor shook his head. “I totally appreciate the help. I’m not in any state to go… “topside”, as the Turtles say,” Connor said as he gestured to the general state he was in. “I mean I’m not even in any state to go outside period, topside or not. Also, do I have to worry about paying you back for any of this?”

April shook her head. “The Turtles pitched in a bit of money each for me to help you out with, so that’s all covered.” Connor looked at all of the Turtles, and said “Oh man…….” He felt tears forming in his eyes at even the gesture. Mikey leaned over and gave him a sort-of sideways hug and said, “Connor, it’ll be okay. We promise. Pinky swear!” Mikey was holding out his pinky sausage-finger to Connor, and he could only reply in kind, shaking hands with his comparatively tiny finger. 

Leo started to say, “April, should we go? I think the guys can get along just fine now without our help.” April chuckled. They both got up and put their paper plates in the trash, and left out the main door of the lair. Connor finished off his two sandwiches. Don was about to head up to his lab but gave Connor a quick “come here” head jerk. Connor left his plate at the coffee table, Mikey would get it in a couple of seconds anyway. Following Don up the stairs, they came to a stop at the wall. “Look right.” Connor looked to his right, and there was a white door labeled “Connor’s room” in block letters. “Seriously?!” Don nodded. “Yup. We made our guest bedroom into your own.” Opening the door, Connor flicked on the light. 

There wasn’t much in the room yet, but there was enough in there at the moment. A queen size bed with white sheets and pillows, a dresser and closet, a nightstand, and a desk with a 32 inch TV on it. “Don, how did you get this TV? It looks like it’s brand new!” Don chuckled. “The people of New York tend to throw out quite a few things, especially things that work. It has HDMI on it, so I know your laptop will work with it.” Connor borderline leapt into Don’s arms right after that, giving Don a rather tight hug, with his arms wrapped around his carapace. “Okay, okay okay, you’re about to squeeze the air out of me, Connor.” He let go at that very second. “Sorry..” Don chuckled. “It’s okay. You also might want to thank Raph, he had this idea as soon as you woke up. We weren’t just planning on how to get your car back, we debated on giving you this room. I was for it, but it needed some sort of final touch.” Connor poked his head out of the door, seeing Raph and Casey watch a football game. 

Mikey saw Don and Connor walk up to his the new room. Quickly, he grabbed his drawing and barged his way into Connor’s room. “I heard you say something about a final touch, I made you this, Connor.” Connor took the piece of drawing stock gently out of Mikey’s grasp. “What is this,Mikey? Oh….. oh…. my god….. It’s beautiful!” The picture was a grayscale representation of that shocking cornering maneuver made during the chase, it may as well have been a freeze-frame shot from a camera due to how detailed it was. The chicken feed plant was in the background, along with the railroad crossings, and the van that gave chase was pretty much identical to the real-life counterpart. 

“I didn’t know you were an artist, Mikey… How did you draw this?” Mikey smiled. “I guess I could just imagine the scene in my head, and I transferred it to my paper using different pencils for different shades.” Connor was still in shock. “Can we frame this? I want to keep this picture forever.” Don quickly went to his storage room attached to his lab, and found a picture frame that fit. He walked back in with it and handed it to Connor. “It looks like it’ll fit, hang on.” He slid the back off the frame and slid the picture in. It fit. Connor then sat the picture in its frame on his nightstand. All of the three in the room looked at the picture for a moment. It signified the time that a man found them as refuge, as some sort of protection. To do so, it took such a brave feat, like sliding his car around a street to do so.

The tire treads that were worn away with that were such a low cost for what he had now. Connor looked to either side of him, at Mikey and Don. He didn’t want to lose this for the world.  
 


	3. Reconnaissance

After this chapter is an example of a post-note I made with certain definitions and references, to certain very local things or very technical things, marked with an asterisk after the respective word. So if I say word*, the definition of "word" will be at the bottom.

* * *

RECOMMENDED LISTENING:

“Southernplayalisticadillacmuzik” by OutKast

This album is pretty much the quintessential “Atlanta hip hop” album, outside of Stankonia, at least. But Southernplayalisticadillacmuzik was the start for André 3000 and Big Boi as they pretty much revolutionized Atlanta hip-hop from mostly being Miami bass music to something actually tangible, in the era of the all-important East vs. West rivalry. Listen to the whole album. It’s gold.

* * *

* * *

Monday, January 29, 2018, 8:36 PM

* * *

Connor was in the lab with Don. The turtle figured out he had significant IT experience, so he became comfortable with letting Connor into his lab, which couldn’t be said for certain other members of the family. Don was starting to explain what he did behind the scenes to research the actions Connor made before he woke up. “So, I saw the keys for the Escort in your pocket, and I tried looking into the New Jersey toll systems for any record of you passing through. Now that I know your make, model and year, I can find you. Apparently, you were on Interstate 95 at 8:46 AM yesterday morning. So much has changed since then, hasn’t it?”

Connor could only think. Yesterday at about 1:30, he laid passed out in the sewers, not far from here. He didn’t know how he got there, or even where he was. All he knew was he was in some sewer somewhere laid dying. But, with the help from four humanoid turtles and their father, he had a new chance at life. April and Leo were still out getting clothes and other essentials, and Raph and Casey were down four beers each, having a bit of a competition with it. Mikey was using the second television, playing Doom on his salvaged Xbox, paying no attention to the show of masculinity ten feet away. 

Don called to Connor. “Hey, you okay?” Connor just nodded. “Just thinking about these past couple of days. It's been a ride, if I say so myself.” “Oh, yeah it has, hasn't it?” Don walked back to his computer, taking Connor’s phone off the charger and held it out. Connor asked, “What is this?” “It's your phone. I had to use it to find some information about you. And yes, before you ask, I did have to look at your search history. You cover your tracks rather well, I must say. Also, I installed a software routine that will let your phone dial and text our Shell Cells. Try it, I added all of us as contacts.”

Connor unlocked his phone, aware he should probably change his unlock pattern. Under contacts, there were seven new ones under a section labeled “Turtles and More”. One listing for each of the Turtles, then Splinter, April, and Casey. “How did you make this work?”, Connor asked Don. “It was pretty simple. You know how modern LTE phones have some unused frequency bands?” Connor nodded, knowing where this was going to go. “I set up our Shell Cells to use an unused frequency, not even AT&T uses it,” Don chuckled. “They have taken over almost all of the bands, except for two. We use the second one, piggybacking off their towers.”

Connor replied with an “Oooh, okay.” Don smiled and continued. “I unlocked your phone so it can use that ‘hidden’ band to talk to us. Next to your regular service signal indicator on top, you will see another with a “T” in it.” Connor saw that this indicator was lit up in full strength. “It's full strength because I ran a signal extender into the lair. Topside, though, it'll tend to wax and wane depending on distance from a cell tower, but you know how that works anyway, so I won't simplify further. Also, I can guarantee you know that using that hidden band breaks almost every FCC convention outside of Japan, so there's that.”

Connor laughed. “I knew they had some other bands, especially for wireless networks. We get up to 11, they get a twelfth channel. Is there anything else to know about my phone?” Don replied to the question. “Let's see…. Oh. I put a tracking app in there. Basically, it uses the same LTE band we talked about along with GPS to show you where all of us are. If you go into your app drawer, it's called “Turtle Tracker”. Connor touched the app with a little turtle head on it. It opened up. “This looks just like Google Maps,” Connor commented. Don nodded. “It's based off the Maps API. Basically, it functions like Google Maps, but for locations we go to often. As you zoom in on New York, you can see all the POIs not being stuff like Central Park, but places we frequent.”

Connor was amazed. “So, if I wanted to look up how to get somewhere like April's apartment, it'll show me how to get there using the sewers and location?” Don smiled, surprised how quickly Connor was catching onto his technology. “Yep. It also has options I programmed in there for topside travel, if you're outside and need to get somewhere. There's also an entire map of the sewers, all mapped out.” 

“So, I see a little April head and a Leo head moving through the sewers, they probably are coming back… Thanks for setting this all up Don.” “You're welcome. I'll tell April and Leo to meet you in your room, I think you have quite a few things to put away. April tends to go overboard on things.” Connor smiled and was about to leave the lab, when Don chimed in with a last thought. “Connor would it be okay for me to give you a physical exam tomorrow? I wanna see how your injuries are healing, as well as clarify on a couple of details as well.” Don stayed vague with Connor, not knowing what kind of reaction he would receive. Connor nodded. “That sounds great. Also, my ribs still hurt. Do you have anything to maybe dull the pain for when we go out tonight? I can barely move as it is right now.” 

Don said, “Yes, I do. Everything from mild acetaminophen to oxycodone. I don't really think you'll need the latter, but I have it just in case.” “Can I get some ibuprofen then? That should knock most of this out with being addictive.” Don walked over to a cabinet with all kinds of different medications in it, and grabbed a teal labeled bottle. He handed it to Connor, who opened it and took three pills out. There was a bottle of water on the desk, unopened. Connor cracked it open, drank a bit of the water, tilted his head back and dropped the pills in, swallowing soon after. Don said, “You should teach Mikey how to take pills. He freaks out and only can manage one at a time, for fear of a tantrum.”

Connor laughed. “That sounds like Mikey, or at least as much I know about him. He acts his age at some points, but then he reverts back to being eight years old at others.” Right as soon as he finished his jab at Mikey, however, April and Leo opened the door to the lair.

“Hey Connor, I’m back with a bunch of clothes.”, April called out. Connor poked his head out of the lab, giving Donnie the “wait a sec” gesture. He saw April and Leo holding two big bags full of clothes each, and waved them up the stairs, quickly getting in front of them so he could open his door. “Plop those down on the bed.you two.” After putting his two bags down, Leo walked out of the room, saying “I’m going into the lab to discuss plans with Don for getting Connor’s car back, April. You can go through the clothes we picked if you want.” April already had that idea, so she started. “I got you a bunch of stuff, as you could tell. One of the local thrift stores had a 75% off sale closing off the month, so I took advantage of it.” 

She pointed to a bag with “THANK YOU” printed over and over on it. Inside the bag were a bunch of shirts. Connor carefully took the shirts out of the bag, and set them on his bed. There were a variety of T-shirts, button-down shirts, and polos on the bed. “I got you a bit of everything. I figured you liked more simple style, so I stuck to more conservative colors and such.” There were the basic colors, such as black, white, and gray, and other random colors that Connor liked, like maroon, royal purple, and what looked like a lilac in there. “I like these colors. They’re pretty much what I wore back home,” Connor replied.

April smiled. “There’s more where that came from, open another bag.” Connor dragged the Old Navy bag closer to him. “How did you know I wore Old Navy?” As he opened the bag, what looked like black, gray, and blue pairs of jeans and a couple of pairs of slacks stared him in the face. “And how did you especially know I wore Old Navy jeans? They’re the only things that fit my frame!” Connor leaned over and gave April a hug, appreciating the fact that she even guessed the right clothes that fit. 

“Hey, you need to thank Don for that. I’m guessing he pulled up some kind of online purchase, and you bought Old Navy jeans. Also, I knew Old Navy’s cuts tended to fit slimmer types, so that also helped.” Connor moved the jeans next to the shirts. “A few more bags left.”, April said as she grabbed the next, what looked like a simple plain white bag. Connor opened it, in it were two packs of black ankle socks, and two packages of white brief-type underwear. “Can’t skip the necessities, can you?” April chuckled. “Life’d be a lot worse without them.” “I saw you had a bag with a couple pairs of shoes in them, what did you get?” “Well, I don’t think steel-toe work boots really go with button-down shirts and slacks. Save those for the junkyard and garage.”

Connor smiled. She was right, after all. “ _If you wanna look like a redneck in dress clothes, go for it, I guess…. The Fashion Police might be after you soon enough,_ ” Connor thought. April slid the bag with shoes in it towards Connor. On top was a pair of Converse high-top shoes, in all black. “Oh my god…. I love Converses. They’re probably the best shoes in the world, or at least I think so.”, Connor commented. Below them was a pair of black leather Oxfords. “I thought you needed something you could dress up with.” April was about to leave, but then a light bulb lit up in her head. “Oh, I almost forgot. Hang on real quick.” April went out of the room, down the stairs, and out of Connor’s sight. Thirty seconds later, she came in with a CVS bag full of plastic bottles. 

“Here’s all of the other necessities I almost completely glossed over,” April said. She handed the bag to Connor, and in it were a bunch of toiletries. “I’m guessing there’s some shampoo and conditioner like I asked for, and maybe a couple of other things…?”, Connor asked. April nodded. “Open it up.” There were two bottles each of conditioner and shampoo, two bottles of body wash, some different scented soaps, and a Gillette Mach 3 razor handle, and a box of spare cartridges.

“Oh man, I forgot to ask about razors. I probably needed those, huh? I’d look like a homeless man with some horrible scruff on my chin a week from now.” April chuckled a bit. “If Casey doesn’t shave, he looks homeless too. Also, when you were in the shower earlier, he said you might have needed those. I think he’s a little nervous around you, since you show dominance in the hair competition at least. You probably have him beat by one and a half feet! Now, he’s gonna ask me if he can grow his hair out even longer than it is now… and looking at what you’re rocking… sure, why not? He’ll look so hot with longer hair..” 

April squirmed a bit, making a squealing noise in her throat. “Oh, I have a surprise for you.”, April said, after that fleeting moment of obsession over her lover was over. April went under the bed and pulled out two packages of brown hair ties, two packs of plastic coat hangers, and a black wool jacket. “First off, you’ll need these,” April commented as she handed Connor the brown fabric rubber rings. “Don’t want your hair caught in a serpentine belt or drenched in used oil or something, huh? Also, I got you a wool jacket. It’s supposed to be really warm, and the material is nice. Don’t get it soaked in oil, either. It needs to be dry cleaned.”

Connor chuckled. “Yeah, that would be a bad idea. You already figured out I work on cars, don’t you?” “Raph told me. The way you were driving your car, you need that kind of knowledge to be able to handle it, I guess? Also, you need to give me some driving lessons, hah. I scare Casey every time I drive with him, he complains about how rough I am in steering and acceleration. I also need to learn how to drive stick, just in case I need to get out of somewhere. Casey has refused to teach me, since I seem like a hard student for him. He learned when he was a teen too, at his dad’s farm driving an old truck.” “Haha, I guess I could do that. What kind of car do you have?” “I have the van I use for my antique shop. It’s kinda like the one that chased you… but without any modifications.”

Connor laughed. “I guess I could teach you in that thing… you down for some defensive driving lessons? Stuff some people call stunt driving, it can save your life in the kind of things you run into working with the Turtles, at least. Also, you have an antique shop?” April said, “Well, I think you’ll need to come sometime. I think Don programmed it into your phone. I am just guessing, but that sounds like a Don thing to do. It’s below my apartment. Anyway, Casey and I have to go, it’s getting late for us, anyway. Plus I plan for some further activities tonight, anyway.” Connor pretended to be disgusted, but April saw right through that. “Come on, you know all about that kinda stuff anyway. You’re not Mikey, who is really innocent in some cases, or Don, who treats sex like it’s some kind of medical procedure.” 

April left the room chuckling. Connor set to hanging up his shirts in the closet, and folding his new pairs of pants and setting them in his drawer. This was going to be a long night, and sexual comments were just a fly on the surface. He, Raph, and Don were about to go on a recon mission to get the Escort back, and this is the first time Connor has done anything of even that sort. He’s followed his dad back from picking up a car off Craigslist with no tags on the back, but this didn’t compare. 

Going to a car park an hour away in New York traffic, with a green turtle in the passenger’s seat? “ _Eeeh…_ ” Connor thought. He needed something to drink. Connor walked out of his room, shutting off the light and closing the door. Connor tried to walk down to the kitchen peacefully, but Mikey came up behind him as he grabbed a glass out of the cabinet. “Boo!” Mikey growled, intent to scare Connor. “Gotcha!”, said Mikey as Connor violently shook. “Aagh shit, you scared me Mikey. Don’t do that again, please.” Raph piped up. “If ya’ tell him ta’ stop, he’ll raise the bar. Ain’t that right, Fearless?” Leo cringed at the name, but nodded. 

Mikey swept over to the couch, hurdling over it and landing square on the cushions, the couch making a loud groan as his load leapt like a shock through its structure. Leo said in an irritated tone, “Mikey, you should stop doing that, you’ll break the couch eventually, and you’ll have to help Don heave a new one to the lair.” Connor chuckled as he reached for the 2-liter bottle of soda out of the refrigerator. Mikey was complaining about not being able to jump on the couch as Connor poured the soda into his glass. Putting the bottle back in the fridge, he grabbed his glass and sat in the armchair on the side of the couch, the one that wasn’t Master Splinter’s, of course.

Raph started talking as soon as Connor sat down. “Hey, do ya wanna come up and look at the garage? I know once we get yer car back yer gonna be spendin’ a lot of time in there, so it wouldn’t hurt to have a tour, and learn about our vehicles too, while you’re up there.” Connor set his glass down and said, “You know what, that isn’t a bad idea. I also want to see where I’m gonna have some room too. That’s a good idea, Raph. You’re smarter than the guys think you are, especially Mikey.” Mikey nudged Connor in the side, but it was was true. Under the skin of muscle and more muscle, Raph had a brain. “Hey, Don, are you coming?”, Connor asked. Don looked over and went, “Wha… Oh. Yep, coming.” The three got up and went to the elevator. “This elevator goes up the garage. The garage is all hidden and soundproofed from the surface, so there’s no problem with using angle grinders or blasting music.” The three stepped into the elevator after they pressed the button. Only thirty seconds later, they arrived in the garage.

“Wooooow…” was the only thing Connor could say. The garage looked like one of those things you would see on the Velocity Channel. It was all white and light gray, with lighting inset into the ceilings. Admittedly though, it still looked like it was worked in. There was some grime on the floors and the workbenches weren’t pristine. But, Connor’s previous car work was all carried out on a dirt driveway, with a jack and some jack stands as his lift. In the front of his eyes a black van built on some sort of heavy-duty chassis, and next to it was a red motorcycle. 

“So, this is the Battle Shell?”, Connor asked as he pointed to the black van. Don nodded. “It’s our main battle vehicle, really. It’s based on a Chevy C3500 chassis…” Connor cut him off. “It’s got a 454 in it, right? Don smiled. “It has a Generation VI big-block 454 in it, with the Vortec heads and stuff. It’s all stock though at the moment, adding power hasn’t been a priority, the priority has been keeping it reliable.” “Can I take a look?”, Connor asked. Don replied, “Sure. It’s unlocked.” Stepping in, Connor saw all kinds of surveillance tech. “You running an undercover FBI operative in this thing, Don?” Raph busted out laughing. “Well… we have done some undercover work for agents here and there, so yeah, you could say that.”, Don replied confidently. 

Looking around the van some more, Connor noticed some small things, like a flip-down screen in the back, presumably so Mikey could stay entertained on long trips. The rear seats were three standard Chevy van benches, one facing forward, and two facing each other on the sides. There was a mini-fridge and a microwave plugged into a dedicated 120-volt circuit, and other small details. But what drew the most attention was the dashboard. There was an aftermarket radio in the dash, of course, but there were no kind of aftermarket performance gauges or anything. No air-fuel ratio, no oil temperature and pressure, nothing. If this van was to be used in any sort of running situation demanding full load for periods of time, how would Don know what the engine was doing outside of the useless coolant temperature gauge and tachometer?

Connor got out of the van, not to draw too much attention to how he was staring at the instrument panel. He closed the door on the side, and looked at the motorcycle. “Raph, is this your bike?” Raph said, “Yep, can you guess what it is, though?” Connor looked closer at the engine. It was a V-4 shape, very uncommon for gasoline engines. The four individual carburetors were the giveaway. “Is this a Honda Magna 750?” Don started laughing this time. Raph blushed and said, “Yep, it is. How did you know?” “The carbs. The Magnas had one carb per cylinder, and it’s not like the whole V-4 engine was a red flag. Also, it looks like your carbs are bigger than stock… are they 39s?” Raph knew he was a walking encyclopedia for cars, but not bikes. “Should I add a section to the “Connor’s Walking Encyclopedia of Vehicles” for motorcycles?” 

All three started laughing uncontrollably. Don wiped tears from his eyes. “I thought I was bad, but Jesus. A kid we didn’t know two days ago knowing more about our vehicles at first glance than we did when we got them….” Raph continued on Don’s thought. “And I thought it was gonna be a game for him to guess what bike I had…” Connor stopped laughing, regaining at least some of his composure to ask an all-important question. “So, where will I be working?” Don and Raph took a couple of moments to calm down. Don pointed over to the wall, at two lifts. “Those two lifts are yours. You know how to use a lift, right?” Connor looked at him like he had three heads. “You kidding me? I worked in a tire shop. I used a two-post every day for six months straight, Don.” Don forgot about that. “Ah. I forgot about that. I just wanted to make sure, don’t want any kind of OSHA violations in our shop, you hear me?”, Don said as a joke. In the human world, OSHA was a force to be reckoned with. The Turtle’s version of OSHA was Raph tackling Mikey to the ground. It wasn’t as brutal in a legal sense, but just as entertaining to watch.

Don continued. “We have four lifts in here, one for the Battle Shell, one for Raph’s whatever-car-he’s-gonna-get-eventually, and then two spare. I figured you need one for your Escort, and another for a parts car. Up here in New York, they’re more rusted out, so you see way fewer driving around. So if you want a parts car, we’ll need to look south.” Connor nodded, but it wasn’t new information. Non-rustproofed Northern cars rotted to hell in the first ten years, and basically went to dust in the second decade. The amount of 27-year-old Japanese-based compact cars were at an all time low in the Northeast, but there were a few clean Escort GTs somewhere in the South. The problem was to find one. 

Connor looked at the lifts, and back at the two turtles who were squabbling about the ratcheting 10mm wrench. Apparently the gears in it stripped, and they don’t sell it individually. Ratcheting wrenches are very useful when working on cars, because they act like a ratchet in a tighter space, so you don’t bust your knuckles while working in tight spots.

Connor broke up the fight. “Hey guys, ratcheting wrenches are great and all, but I think Mikey’s gonna come up here if we don’t go back into the lair and join him for a movie or whatever. You know how he is.” Don and Raph set the wrench down, and walked into the elevator. “So Connor, how do you like our garage?”, Don asked. “You kiddin’ Don? The question shoulda been “What didn’t you like about our garage?””, Raph replied. Connor just said, “Raph’s right. I love the place and can’t wait to start working on some of my random wacky shit.” The elevator dinged and the doors opened. 

Mikey called out, “Hey, who wants to watch a movie?” as soon as Connor was walking out of the elevator. Connor quickly turned around and gave both of the Turtles a smirk, mouthing “Told you so.” He then replied to Mikey. “Sure, Mikey, what do we have?” Mikey’s eyes lit up as Connor walked into the living room and sat down on the couch. “Why don’t you pick, Connor? Since you are the newest person here, and I want to see what you like,” Mikey said. “We have a bunch of DVDs in that case over there.” Mikey pointed to a cabinet. It looked like it used to be a gun rack, but inside it instead were shelves of DVDs. 

Connor walked over to the cabinet and opened it. Inside it was just about every genre of movie, from action to sci-fi to comedy. Looking through the sci-fi movies, one stood out especially. ‘The Fifth Element’. Connor immediately grabbed it, and quickly popped it into the player, without revealing what movie he picked.

When the opening scene started with the priest, his aide, and Aziz in the Egyptian temple. Don immediately looked up from his laptop and looked at Connor. “Did you know The Fifth Element is my favorite movie?” Connor shook his head. “I picked it because it’s my favorite movie… isn’t that a coincidence?” “I guess it is. That’s awesome.”, Don said with a smile. He never knew someone else who actually liked The Fifth Element, let alone someone who thought it was their favorite movie.

* * *

11:24 PM

* * *

After the movie finished, Leo went to his bedroom. He was yawning throughout the movie, showing how tired he was. Master Splinter was already asleep in his shoji, after he turned in an hour earlier. Only Connor, Raph, Don, and Mikey remained in the living room. 

Don started the conversation. “So, why don’t we get this recon mission started?” Raph nodded. “Well, lead the way Brainiac.” Don and Raph walked towards the elevator, as Connor grabbed a Monster from the fridge on the way. He was getting tired, and a kick of caffeine and taurine was just what he needed. With the cold can in hand, Connor followed Raph and Don into the elevator. This was about to be a longer night than he had expected, but it would be worth it soon enough.

When the elevator opened, the garage was in full sight. Raph hopped into the driver’s  
seat of the Battle Shell, with Don getting in the passenger’s seat, while pulling up his laptop. He then called out to Connor. “Hey, do you have that EzPass box? You’ll need it for getting through the Lincoln Tunnel.” “Um, it’s over on the workbench, I’ll grab it.” Connor walked over to the workbench and grabbed the small white box. Don then said, “I’ll program it to your car once we get there. You might want to get in so we can go.” Connor then opened the rear door, getting in the seat closest to the front. 

“So, how does this garage work? I don’t see a normal door leading out…” Connor asked. Raph then replied with “Watch this.” He drove closer to the back of the garage, and the back wall of the garage lifted up on tracks. “It looks like a normal underground kinda garage on the outside, but it’s really not.” Connor was just in shock. “The… the… wall… lifted up?” “Yes, it did.” Don replied in short. Raph reversed the Battle Shell out of the garage, with the “door” closing behind the van as he continued to reverse. 

Once on the street, Don turned on the radio to the classic rock station. Don’s favorite music genre was classic rock, and this was his van, so he had choice of music. Manhattan was still lit up of course. In the city that never sleeps, everywhere was still open, even past 11:30 PM. 

Getting out of Manhattan ten minutes later was actually a surprise. Traffic was only affected by people getting to their third-shift jobs, so traffic wasn't as terrible as it was during rush hour. Also, the three had the luck of getting mostly green lights. Going into the Lincoln Tunnel westbound, it flowed at a constant 37 miles per hour. The radio cut out however, due to the van now being underwater. Don forgot about this fact, however. “Why did the radio cut out?” He dove under the dashboard expecting to see something disconnected, but instead Raph coughed. “Brainiac, we’re under the Hudson right now.” 

Don raised an eye ridge towards Raph, but it clicked. “Oh…. Yeah. I forgot we were underwater, whoops.” Don then got back into his seat, suffering in silence. “Ugh, I wish we had some music. I need some Aerosmith right now.” Connor laughed. “You know what they say about silence, Don. There’s going to be a lot more noise when we get to Newark, that’s for sure.” 

Getting out of the Lincoln Tunnel, traffic was still not great, but past the initial loop, traffic onto the 495 was freely flowing, at 60 miles per hour. Traffic only slowed down for the toll booths on 95, where the New Jersey Turnpike started. The Battle Shell had an EzPass on the windshield as well, so they didn’t need to stop. 

Getting to Newark was a simple endeavor, but getting back out of it was another matter entirely. Connor said, “I’m in lot P6, so follow this road back for about three miles Raph. It’s quite a bit away from the actual airport, and it was full of cars, so mine would have been hidden pretty well.” In his phone, he still had a picture of what row he was in. Raph followed Brewster Road back about the three miles, and came in view of the parking lot, and pulled over. Connor and Raph got out, Raph grabbing a heavy coat out of the back of the van. Don got in the driver’s seat, holding out the EzPass box to Connor. “Here’s this, and I’ll turn around up here. I’ll follow you guys out.”

As Connor walked towards the parking lot, Raph threw the coat on. With a hood on, he looked rather… human. It was also about 20 or so degrees Fahrenheit outside, so it was pretty chilly. Connor had his ‘new’ wool jacket on, so he was still warm. They both walked into the lot at attention, but for no reason. The only person in the lot right now was the attendant, who was in his little shack at the entrance. He had earbuds in, so he wasn’t paying attention to the teenager and the 6’3 beefcake turtle entering the lot. “I’m in Row A13, so it’s a little bit from here.” Raph said, “Right in the middle of the lot huh, in the middle of all of the cars… You’re kinda smart, I’ll give ya that.” 

Connor smiled. “It should be around here somewhere… HAHA!” He saw a glint of faded red in the corner of his eye, lit up by a light pole. He pulled the keys out of his pocket, and ran over to the Escort, and gave it to as close of a hug as he could. Raph saw that, and chuckled. “Ya gay for yer car or somethin’?” Connor laughed. “Might as well be. You know the feeling after you haven’t seen your bike for a while.” Raph nodded. “Yup, I know exactly how ya feel. Just seeing a man goin’ up and hugging his car is a pretty fuckin’ weird sight, that's for damn sure.”

Connor twisted his key in the driver's door and got in, reaching over to pull the lock pin up on the passenger side door. Raph shook his head as he leaned into the car. Connor put the EzPass box on the windshield while Raph sat down and closed the door, Connor started the Escort up, after popping the clutch in and shifting into neutral. “Connor, the fuck is this?”, Raph said after watching the automatic seat belt move back and tighten around him. 

Connor started laughing. “It's an automatic seat belt. Instead of putting in airbags, they put these things in. In the era of drunk driving, no one wore seat belts. So, having a seat belt that tightens itself around idiots caused less lawsuits, but these things suck. I'm surprised mine still work. Open the door, Raph.” Raph opened the door, and the seat belt slid forward in its tracks. He closed the door and it slid back. “Man, this shit is crazy. Where's the lap belt?”, Raph asked. 

“Down on the floor. You have to buckle it manually.” “Isn't that stupid,” Raph commented as he pulled the lap belt out and around his lap, buckling it. “We gonna get goin’?” “Just a second. Any specific music you want to listen to?”, Connor asked. Raph thought for a moment. “You got anything from Atlanta?” “I do, you like OutKast?” Raph shrugged. “I have to admit, I don’t know who they are…” “Well, you're gonna listen to some tonight on the way back.” He then pressed play on OutKast’s first studio album, ’Southernplayalisticadillacmuzik’, before continuing. “This is pretty much the quintessential Atlanta album. You do like rap, right?” Raph nodded. “I like pretty much everything but country, something I think we’ve got in common. I don't take ya for a country listener, ya know?”

Connor smiled as he put the car into reverse and slowly backing out of the parking spot. He turned down the music as he slowed down to pay the attendant. Cranking down his window, Connor stopped beside the booth. The attendant took an earbud out, looking like he was hating life, until he recognized the music playing through Connor’s speakers. “Yo man, is that shit OutKast?” Connor nodded as he turned it up. “AAAAYYY,” belted out the attendant. “I love that shit! You from ‘Lanna?*” “I am, born in and raised in Gainesville. I'm just up here in the Big Apple visiting,” Connor replied as he handed the parking slip to the attendant. 

“Man, I'm from Bankhead. Also, I'm gonna give you a friend-to-friend discount, if you know what I mean. ” Connor nodded and asked, “Hey you got a number?” He handed an old napkin and a pen to the attendant, who wrote his number down. As he was handed the napkin and pen, the boom arm lifted up. “Take care Gainesville,” the attendant said as Connor grabbed first gear and eased away, waving his hand in the air. 

He rolled his window back up and turned on the heater, since the car was now warm enough. “And that, Raph, is how you get free parking and a friend in one go.” Raph was stunned. “Just from the music you chose, you saved 54 bucks and got a friend. God damn, I thought I was good with people…” “That's how shit like that works, I'm afraid. Anyway, time to go home.” Connor turned left out of the parking lot, shifting into second. Don started to follow him in the Battle Shell. 

“Don's not listening to us, is he?”, asked Connor as he continued to accelerate. Raph shook his head. “Don doesn’t have the software on his laptop to listen in to our Shell Cells, plus he is driving, after all.” “I’ve got a surprise for him, I’ll tell you in a bit.” Six minutes later, Connor and Raph were on the onramp to I-95. Connor dropped down into second gear, and gunned it, shifting at 50 miles per hour into third gear. “So, now that Don’s not reading my lips, I can tell you the surprise. I am not hurting for money, really. I’ve got about three grand in my bank account, and I thought maybe putting some mods into the Battle Shell might make him a little happier.” Raph smiled. “Yeah, he’s always whinin’ about how little power the van’s got. It’s a 454, but that fuckin’ thing is heavy. So what do you plan on doing?” “I have a flash drive I can plug into my laptop that hides all activity on the network, right? I’ll order a cam and all of the other necessary parts for it like pushrods, springs, lifters and stuff, a set of long tube headers, some cooling stuff, and maybe a better EFI system I can tune.” 

Raph shook his head in amazement. “How much would all this shit cost?” “Well, I have a guy who knows a guy at Summit… so not MSRP, that’s for sure. Maybe twenty-five hundred bucks, all in? Three grand at most.” Raph was shocked. “All that stuff for a Big-Block Chevy is like six grand!” “Remember, I said I know a guy. Don’t worry about the price. All you need to do is give me ten hours in the garage without Don barging in. I’ll need your help, too. I don’t know how well that van is put together, but I can wrap my head around the actual modding of it. I think we won’t need to pull the motor, either.” 

Raph started to think. “How about we go in the garage at like ten o’clock, disable the elevator, and work overnight? There’s no other ways to get in or out besides that, so it could work. Don is probably going to be asleep at that time, so for eight to ten hours, we’ll have nothing coming in to distract us.” Connor replied, “You know what, that’s not a bad idea. When we get home, I’ll show Don my laptop and all of my IT tools, just so he knows what I have to work with, and you can come up with a plan to get this ball rolling. After I leave Don’s lab, I’ll order the parts.”

There was a silence of agreement in the car, until “Call of da Wild” came on through the radio. “I like the music, by the way. Old-school Southern rap is something I should add to my playlist.”, Raph said got his Shell Cell out of his pocket and pushed a button, making a Nextel-like sound. “Don, where are ya? It’s almost like we lost you there.” “I’m behind you guys, some lady in an Altima cut me off when I was merging.” Connor made a comment. “Ugh, Altima people. Are they as bad up here as they are down there?” “Yup,” Raph said. “It seems like the Nissan Altima is the car of choice for shitty drivers. It’s like Nissan had an ad saying “Hey shitty drivers! Here’s your car!” Connor laughed as Don caught up just in the nick of time, before they moved over to get onto the 495 again. 

Don hung on to Connor for the next stretch as they got into the EzPass lane for getting into the tunnel. “Jesus, $15 is a lot to pay just to go one and a half miles,” Connor commented. “How many people do you think pay cash?” “Enough so they have a reason to rip them all off.”, Raph said. Raph didn’t candy-coat the truth, and it showed. Connor eventually got up to the booth crawling in traffic, which automatically let him through with the EzPass box on his windshield. They both had to go into the right tunnel, so it was a bit of a squeeze going from six lanes to two. Connor darted in between cars, so that was no big deal, but for Don in the heavy duty truck-turned-van, he was stuck where he was to start with.

Going through the Lincoln Tunnel wasn’t a hard affair. Connor had his music downloaded to his phone, so it didn’t cut out when he was in the tunnel, much to Raph’s surprise. “You downloaded the album?” Connor nodded. “You’re smarter than Donny in that regard, he forgot he was underwater like an idiot.” The rest of the trip through the tunnel wasn’t a hard affair, fifth gear at 40 miles per hour. There were less cars on this trip around, so it was easier to see through the traffic. “So, what do I do once the tunnel ends? I’ve never driven in Manhattan… ever. I’ve driven in downtown Atlanta a few times, but it’s not a gridded up hell like this…” “Well, it’s simpler than ya think. Follow the rest of the idiots, and get northbound up to 52nd. Make a right, and then go straight until we get to the garage.”, Raph replied, assuaging Connor’s stress in the situation.

After fifteen minutes of hopping off and on the clutch, Raph and Connor were almost at the garage, two blocks to go. Raph pressed the button on his Shell Cell to talk to Don. “Hey, do you need to open the garage, cause we’re here.” “Don’t worry about it. I already programmed the Escort into the automatic opening system, so it should open up like it does for you on your bike.” Raph nodded and replied with a short “Aight, see ya later Don.” Connor found the entrance, and pulled in. Like Don said, the door started to open as he crawled towards it. Crawling at idle in first gear, Connor pulled into the third lift, about to shut off the Escort, before grinning like a madman. The door was closing, so now was the time. Raph got out of the Escort, and soon after, Connor put his foot to the floor, revving the car up to redline, bouncing off the rev limiter. 

Raph started laughing, saying “Isn’t rev bombing fun?”, before Connor shut the Escort off. “I couldn’t help myself.” Connor reached down to the floor to pull the release for the rear hatch. “Raph, can you open that?” Raph obliged, with an amazed look on his face as he did so. “This thing’s a hatch? It looked like a coupe at first glance.” Connor nodded. “You could call it a liftback. Other cars had this kinda shape, especially in Europe, like the Sierras and stuff. It looks sleek, but the cargo area is actually pretty practical.” Connor grabbed his tools out of the Escort, before closing the hatch. He set the tools on the workbench in front of the third lift, while Raph walked over and had a look. “So, what’s all this?” “Well, it’s a 300 piece tool kit I got at Harbor Freight a while back. I need to make sure nothing’s missing in it before I put it back. I keep it in the Escort just in case something breaks on the road and I need to fix it.” 

Raph nodded. “What else you got there?” “Well, there’s a portable jump starter. You hook it onto the positive and negative leads of the battery, and it boosts the car without needing another car. It says it works up to 6 liter engines, so the Battle Shell is out with that. Also, I have a little “bug out” bag full of emergency food, water, clothes, and first aid essentials in the back of my car, along with all this. Can never be prepared enough, at least I think so. If I break down, I got the tools to fix it. If someone else breaks down, I can most likely help them out too. I can’t give a single shit about people, unless of course, something’s fucked with their transportation. I’ve had people not help me out, and that feeling is so fucked. You feel so helpless.”

Raph simply walked around the Escort as Connor said that. “I have to admit I’ve never been in that kinda situation before, but I totally understand.” Raph popped the hood of the Escort and opened it. “What kinda motor is this, Connor?” Connor chuckled and replied sarcastically, “You’ve only looked at V8s haven’t you? That’s an inline four. It has only four cylinders in a line.” Raph nudged him in the shoulder. “I know what a fuckin’ inline four is, dickhead. I’m talking about actual tech.” 

Connor continued. “Oh, it’s really basic. 1.9 liter single cam, makes 88 raging horsepower. Torque’s a bit better though, at 108 pound-feet. My car is the base model, so this is the base engine. The Escort GT had a 1.8 liter dual-cam in it from Mazda, it makes 130 horsepower stock and revs to seven grand, versus the six grand in this. I am planning on getting an Escort GT for a parts car and swapping everything over though. Fun fact, the second-generation Escort, like my car, is actually a Mazda underneath, hence the Mazda motor in the GT.”

Raph nodded. “Tell me more. I actually kinda like this thing. Even if it’s the base model, you can really fuckin’ drive this, going into full lift-off oversteer moments at full blast.” “Haha, okay. The Mazda BP motor in the Escort GT actually has the ability to have power added to it, so I’m gonna do that for sure. I’m tired of having to actually put my foot to the floor to keep up with traffic, heh. Also, I’ve got a question.” “Shoot.”, Raph replied. “Once I take my stock motor out, do you think we could use it in some type of airboat, possibly to get around the sewers any quicker?” “That sounds like a good idea, considering getting around Manhattan on foot can be kinda tiresome. Us as turtles can run along the rooftops, but I doubt ya could keep up.”

Connor chuckled. “Maybe after a while, eh? I’m fuckin tired, I’m going to bed. Connor even refused to close his hood. “I gotta do some routine maintenance on that thing tomorrow,” he mumbled as he walked towards the elevator. “Oil change, brakes, shit like that.” After pressing the button on the elevator, the platform greeted him, he walked on and went back down to the lair. Walking into his room, he undressed, threw his clothes on the floor, and passed out, forgetting to even take his glasses off.

Don pulled into the garage not long after, rolling down the window to the van. “Where’s Connor?”, he asked. “He just walked off mumbling something about needing ta do some work ta the Escort… I think he’s probably passed out in his room right about now.” Don pulled the van in to the first lift, turned it off, and got out. “I should probably ask him about that tomorrow, and check how that mutagen has interacted with his system. It’s maybe changing him a bit, if I had a guess. Anyway, I think we should go to bed as well. It’s past 1:30…”

Raph begrudgingly started walking towards the elevator, only interrupted by Don. “Hey Raph, do you think I should put his hood down?” “Nah, he probably kept it open for a reason, or he just completely forgot about it. I wouldn’t worry about it Don,” Raph replied. Don seemed pleased by that explanation, so he joined Raph in the elevator. “Traffic was terrible for me, because I couldn’t do anything about it,” Don started. “You guys in that little car can dodge cars and stuff, and here I am in our big van again, stuck behind the Altima Lady.” Raph laughed. “That’s gonna be an inside joke between us, isn’t it?” “Why wouldn’t it be? It’s actually funny yet relatable.”

The both of them split off into their bedrooms, and closed their doors. “I wonder what tomorrow morning is going to have in store for us,” Don wondered. “Has Connor changed at all after exposure?” He stopped thinking about it enough to take off his gear and go to sleep. 

Tomorrow morning, indeed, will be a weird one for the whole family. Don just didn’t know yet.

* * *

*‘Lanna - Atlanta. Most locals either take out one or both of the Ts in Atlanta when they pronounce it, meanwhile non-locals stress the Ts. Bankhead took out both, only pronouncing the second half. I personally say “Ad-lannuh”, as do most people in the Atlanta Metro.

* * *


	4. Backstory

* * *

RECOMMENDED LISTENING:

“Slaves Beyond Death” by Thy Art Is Murder

This is a deathcore metal track, be warned. 

“Break The Spell (Dr Rude Remix) - Da Tweekaz, Oscar

Referenced later, it basically explains Connor’s state in detail with the lyrics. 

“Shook Ones, Pt. II” by Mobb Deep

This is in reference to the general feel of Queens later in the chapter. If you haven’t heard this song, you probably should already. One of the hip-hop greats.

* * *

* * *

Tuesday, January 30, 2018, 6:02 AM

* * *

Leo woke up at six o’clock per habit, his internal alarm blaring. He got up and stretched, ready for the upcoming day. However, a couple of plans were already going to be ruined, much to Leo’s dismay. As he walked out of his room, there was a rhythmic thumping sound, in a relatively high frequency. It sounded like Raph was really pounding on his punching bag… but Raph was still snoring, an indication he was asleep. Mikey’s and Don’s doors were both closed too, since this was before either of them got up. 

Leo shook his head. He must have been imagining things, or so he thought. The sound slowly stopped. “ _Must be something with the sewers,_ ” Leo thought, that was until the sound started again, picking up speed. Turning on the kettle, he walked over to the dojo and slid the door open. Leo couldn’t even believe his eyes. Connor was inside with his headphones on, beating the punching bag harder than Raph usually ever did.

Leo walked over to the punching bag, making sure he was caught in Connor’s field of vision. Connor looked over for a brief moment, only realizing it was Leo when he took his headphones off and put them around his neck, turning down the music on his phone. “What’s wrong?”, Connor asked. “I thought you would tell me. Up at six o’clock beating on Raph’s punching bag like it owes you money… what is going on, Connor?” Connor froze. “Uh….um…. I d-don’t know. I woke up at four thirty and couldn’t sleep. So I thought maybe coming in here would help me release some energy and get back to sleep… but from the sight of it, it hasn’t really worked.”

Leo gave Connor a puzzled look. “What are you listening to? It sounds pretty fast.” “It’s a deathcore metal song called “Slaves Beyond Death”. I don’t know if you’d like it though, since it’s all pretty much double kicks, blast beats, screaming, and growling.” Leo shook his head. “I don’t think so, I’m not that type of guy, Raph might like it though.” Connor chuckled, and Leo continued. “As your leader, I want you to stop this at 6:30 and get some breakfast, and after Don wakes up, I still would like for you to be checked out. I’m afraid the mutagen you were exposed to changed quite a few more things than we expected.”

Connor nodded. “Okay, I will. Still, 18 more minutes left, so I’ll just keep going until then.” Connor pressed play on a different song this time, “Break The Spell”. As Leo was walking out of the dojo, he paused right outside the doors. It sounded like Connor was chanting out the lyrics. “It feels like everything is closing in on me… There’s not a single place that I could ever be…” Leo leaned in closer. “A magical spell has been brought upon me, from which I can’t escape… A darker force has taken over, ready to alternate!” 

Leo shook his head, unsure if Connor picked the song only because he liked it. Those lyrics fit the situation he was in to a tee. About ten seconds later, however, all doubt was removed from his head as the incessant punching on beat started again. “ _The beat must have kicked in,_ ” Leo thought. “ _He’s an interesting person, that’s for sure._ ” He walked back into the kitchen and made tea for both him and Master Splinter to take his mind off the situation that may be for better or worse with Connor.

About ten minutes later, Connor walked out of the dojo with not even a single droplet of sweat on his body. Leo noticed that as he sat at the dining table. “Why aren’t you sweaty? Most humans after a workout at least have some sweat on them.” As Connor rifled through the cabinets, he answered. “I don’t know, Leo. I guess I just don’t feel hot after all of that, like I didn’t do a workout at all.” Connor got the box of Frosted Mini Wheats out of the cabinet, the gallon of milk out of the fridge, and one of the biggest bowls they had in the drainer. After pouring a healthy serving of cereal into the bowl, he got a scoop of Raph’s chocolate protein powder and sprinkled it over the cereal, then adding the milk. 

Connor sat down at the table with his big bowl of cereal after putting the rest of the food back away. Leo was in amazement. “Are you going to eat all of that?” “Sure I am. I’m hungry, and I didn’t get much for dinner last night, so this is to make up for it.”, Connor said as he watched his words. He dug into the cereal like he hadn’t eaten for three days, ravaging it. Leo had a question to ask. “So, are you in pain anymore? You were attacking that punching bag without making any signs of pain.” Connor shook his head, starting to talk after finishing off a big bite of cereal. “I feel a little better. I doubt I’m fully healed yet because I still feel tender, but I certainly don’t feel like I was attacked by a Foot soldier, that’s for sure.” 

Leo could only look in astonishment at the teenager that sat in front of him. This man had been attacked by a Foot soldier after being in an adrenaline-filled car chase, drove all the way up to New Jersey in his maimed state, and then took a bus without drawing much attention. Whatever was in that mutagen changed Connor, for the better. “What did you do before this whole misadventure, day in and day out?”, Leo asked. “Well, “what does a typical human teen do?” should have been the question, but I’ll answer. Basically, nothing. Wake up, get ready for school, go to school, get home and change, go to work, get off work, come home, eat, sleep. Repeat _ad nauseum_. Maybe work on my car or a computer on the weekends, but generally that was about it. It got old. I was bored out of my mind for a while, that’s where I learned my driving skills.” 

Leo quirked an eye ridge at Connor, who continued. “Going to school and work and back is a lot of driving, like an hour every day in total. So, I started playing games with myself. I dared myself to take as much speed as possible into a corner, for example. Taking that same corner four times a day gave me four chances to increase the speed.” Leo looked at Connor like he was some kind of maniac. “I wasn't endangering other road users,” Connor continued after looking at Leo. “Most of these corners were less than 35 miles per hour. However, I still polished up my high speed corners by carrying speed on highway off ramps. The thin tires on my car didn't let me get too crazy, but learning the limit was good enough.”

Leo had to ask a question. “Have you learned a lot of things just from boredom?” Connor nodded. “If I didn't have learn how to do something, like swap out the timing belt in my car to keep it running, for example, then yeah, I probably learned it from boredom. Almost all of my technological knowledge is from me tinkering around and breaking different pieces of software and hardware and learning how to fix it.”

As soon as he finished explaining his thought processes to Leo, however, the door to Don's bedroom opened. Connor called out, “Morning, Don.” Don looked like he had been strung out on something. He walked down the stairs and immediately filled the coffee maker and turned it on. “Don't try to talk to him yet, he hasn't had his coffee.”, Leo said to Connor. Don nodded. “I'm not a morning person at all.”, he said. 

Connor finished off his bowl of cereal, gesturing to Don that he was going in the lab. Don nodded, continuing his conversation with Leo, no doubt it was about this morning. Connor sat in front of Don’s computer, pulling out his phone, and opening up Reddit. The typical threads were in view, like “What was the worst mistake you pulled out of?” on AskReddit, or “This PC has been on for 12 years straight” in TechSupportGore. Nothing too exciting, just average “Reddit Monday morning”. After a few minutes of browsing around, Don came into the lab, second cup of coffee in hand. 

“So, Connor,” Don started. “I think we have more to look at than I expected, in terms of that mutagen and the way it reacted with your system.” Connor nodded and said, “Figures as much. Nothing’s ever as simple as you expect it to be, huh?” Don chuckled in response. “If everything were as simple as we expected, neither of us would have jobs. Also, Leo talked to me about this morning, as you probably assumed. From what I’ve gathered on that specific drug, it sounds about right. I’ll need to do a DNA test though, to verify my results of course.” Connor nodded. “I got the basics of what you’re doing in my head. Don’t need to dumb it down so much, Don.” 

“I keep forgetting about that. I’m used to talking to people who don’t always quite get what I’m saying. It’s nice to have someone that understands,” Don replied. “I know the feeling. I was trying to teach my sister about cars, but she didn’t care to learn. I see her in the future having to call AAA because she got a flat tire, unfortunately. So, we have to do a DNA test to compare my pre-mutagen and post-mutagen selves, per se?” Don smiled. “Yeah, you do understand. I’ll need a single hair, and since your hair is long, it’s easier to get one that has both pre and post exposure DNA.” Connor held up a finger to signify “hang on”, and he pulled a hair out of his scalp gently. “There you go, anything else?” Don laughed. “I’ll need you to take off your shirt so I can see how you’ve healed.”

Connor grinned as he pulled his shirt off. “Do I at least get dinner before you fuck me?”, Connor joked. Laughing as he took off the bandage over Connor’s right breast, Don was surprised. “It’s already healed! I didn’t expect that, that’s for sure.” “How long do you expect it should have taken?” “About three times as long. Maybe that mutagen gave you some of the quick-healing abilities that we have, but not as quick. Ours is ramped up five times from normal human healing rates, it looks like you have roughly three times. Also, I need to remove these stitches. It won’t feel painful, it’ll just kind of tickle when I pull them out.” Connor nodded in reply. “Let’s do it.”

Don grabbed a scalpel out of the infirmary, sitting back down next to Connor. Don had his left hand around Connor’s back to stabilize him while carefully slicing the bends in the stitches. After about a minute, the stitch was fully free. “I’m going to grab some tweezers and pull these out, are you ready?”, Don asked. “You already asked me that Don. Quit being such a pussy about it, I’ll be fine.” Don grabbed the pair of tweezers and started on the left of the scar. 

He pulled each straight strand out of Connor’s skin, at as straight an angle as possible, for fear of opening the wound again. After three minutes, Don finished pulling the last strand out of the wound. “All done. Is it okay if I felt around your ribs?” Connor nodded. “Don’t press too hard though, I still feel pretty damn tender.” Don carefully lifted Connor’s arm up. Connor winced a bit, as the stretching of his side made the two broken ribs on his right side were only starting to set. “Well,” Don continued. “These two broken ribs are only starting to set, so no fighting or really strenuous lifting or anything of that sort for the next week…” Don looked at the four bruised ribs on Connor’s left side. “These look better, they’re pretty much healed by now. Those two broken ribs still should be looked after, though.”

Connor simply looked at the floor as his mood turned, noticing the details in the stains. Some spots were lighter, probably cleaned with some sort of solvent, while there were darker stains, possibly caused from some sort of heavily dyed chemical. “You...You’re… gonna ask me about this morning, aren’t you? I-I… d-do…” Connor cut himself off, putting his head into his hands. “I don’t even fucking know what got into me. I woke up at four thirty, I couldn’t sleep. Raph saw me mumbling as I walked out of the garage, I d-didn’t even know what I was doing…” Don simply looked into Connor’s eyes, giving him some sort of comfort, that it was safe to open up. “I woke up with all of this energy. Normally at that time I would be passed the fuck out, not even being able to wake up if my life depended on it. I felt like I had to kill….something. Obviously in the lair, there’s nothing to kill. So, I grabbed my headphones and put on some deathcore, hoping to expel some of this violent energy into my music instead of a wall or myself.”

Connor paused for a moment. “I thought maybe punching Raph’s bag for like ten minutes or whatever would get rid of the energy, but it didn’t stop. I started hitting harder and stronger, expecting something to happen. New song after new song came on, I started hitting on every bass kick. Still nothing, it felt like I could take down an elephant with my bare hands.” Don held up a hand. “Is that when Leo found you?”, he asked. “I guess it must have been. I completely lost track of time until he came in my vision and told me it was past 6 and that I need to eat breakfast.” Don thought. “Is that when you changed the song?” Connor nodded. “I thought maybe switching from deathcore metal to some kind of happier feeling electronic would help, still in a harder style, of course. I started to sing along with the lyrics, because they seemed to resonate with me at the moment.”

“Well, that was pretty much what I was going to ask you, but you answered. It seems like your body has already accepted the effects of the mutagen, but your brain is only starting to, hence the lyrics. I don’t think it’s a coincidence you chose to listen to “Break The Spell”, because it fits almost… too well...” Don said as he started pacing around the lab. “So, for me to do a DNA test, I need to extract it out of your hair on both ends, and compare the sequences against all of the samples, which will take about an hour to an hour and a half. I’d like not to be disturbed, I know you understand.” Connor saluted as he walked backwards out of the lab. “I’m anxious about the results, Don. I hope there’s nothing too crazy in there, you know?” Don nodded. “I hope not.”

Connor left the lab as Don started work. Deciding to take his mind off the nervousness caused by the upcoming DNA results, he turned on the biggest TV in the monolith, and sat down to play some video games. Deciding on Forza Motorsport 7, Connor put it into Mikey’s Xbox and sat down, launching the game. After the title played, Connor got into a time attack race, using a F10 BMW M5 in Estoril Blue as his weapon of choice against Catalunya. He didn’t put much thought into driving the car around the track, since his main play style was zoning out and letting his body control the car. 

Mikey didn’t have a steering wheel setup, but the controller would do. Setting the car off the line, he dumped the clutch at 4,000 RPM, setting the rear tires alight. Connor countersteered against the back end, adding opposite lock and straightening it out before adding more throttle. Encroaching on 140 miles per hour before the first corner, he hauled on the brakes and did a quick double downshift before easing off the brakes a bit, downshifting into second gear. As Connor turned into the apex, he added throttle, the twin turbos on the M5’s V8 spooling up and creating boost. The back end yet again came out, and Connor held on the gas to continue the smokeshow. 

At the second corner, he eased off the gas a bit and turned left, transitioning the drift and holding it. He didn’t even notice Raph’s door opening and the turtle lumbering down the steps as he regained grip and powered through the third corner. Connor got to about 120 miles per hour before getting on the brakes at the fourth corner and calming the big sedan back down to about seventy before using the same move he did on the Escort, weight shifting car left then right, to unsettle the balance and create a slide. Third gear was chosen as this happened, and the uphill right handed-corner gained a fresh set of tire marks. 

Raph simply looked on as he got coffee from the pot. “ _How can he control a car like it’s an extension of his own body, in a fuckin’ video game of all things?_ ”, Raph thought to himself, before he continued. “ _Is he even thinking about what he’s even doing, or is it all planned out? He’s using a damn controller to handle a car like it’s real life!_ ” Adding cream and sugar to the brew, he stirred it before taking a sip and heading towards the couch. Sitting down at the couch, Raph started the conversation. “Ya could probably teach Mikey a few things about racing games. He manages to understeer into every gravel patch or wall he can see.” Connor chuckled. “When I was eleven I was right there with him. I figured smashing on the brakes would slow me down, without realizing they would lock up sometimes. When you lock up, you can’t just magically steer,” Connor said while flicking the BMW into a tight left handed hairpin.

“I gotta question,” Raph asked. “How do you control a car this damn good while still talking to me?” Connor looked over to Raph for a moment before looking back at the screen. “I let my body do the driving. I just say to myself, “Hey, let’s go drifting.” I generally don’t even think about the fact that I’m driving a car on a screen using a controller to interface with a game console. I put myself in the place of the virtual driver. That’s also why I can’t drive worth a shit in third-person.” Raph almost choked on his coffee. “What?” Connor nodded. “I need to be able to see the interior of the car to get into the mindset that it’s actual driving, and not just a game, even if it is. I need to get that link to my head and body saying “Hey, we’re driving now.” It doesn’t just work like that for just racing games, either. I can’t shoot worth a shit in a shooter without seeing through the sights of the gun.”

Raph simply hummed. “Ya know what, that makes sense. Ya gotta put mind and matter into somethin’ for ya to put yer full effort into it, even if it’s something as stupid as a damn video game. I get it.” Connor smiled. “I guess you could put it that way. Driving doesn’t take much mental power, so I can still kind of zone out and drive perfectly, as long as I have that connection. It must be some kind of “power” I have, you could say. The only times I have to put full focus into driving are like when I was being chased, for example.”

The door to Mikey’s bedroom opened, and not a half-second later, there was a sea green turtle jumping down from the second floor to the first, buzzing around. “Whooooo’s racing around?”, he called out as he made his way into the living room. Raph replied. “Connor is, and he’s a damn sight better than you at Forza. Look at him go!” Connor then tipped the sports sedan into a four-wheeled slide on the front straight, making it go to about 130 degrees before the front wheels came back in line. Dumping the virtual clutch to continue the slide, the front wheel hit the apex of the first corner as the rear tires were still alight. After that display, he straightened the car out and paused the game. 

“And that kids, is how you do a perfect reverse entry.*”, Connor said with a smile. Mikey’s eyes were wide open. “Can you teach me how to do that, Connor?” Mikey nudged his shoulder. “Pleeeeease???” Connor chuckled. “You need to learn how to control a car first before I tell you how to get it uncontrolled, Mikey.” Mikey whined after hearing that. “Well, can you teach me how to control a car then?” Connor smiled. “Sure, I guess I could do that. How about tonight?” Mikey’s eyes lit up. “Yes yes yes yes yes yes!!!!!!”, he belted out as he started bouncing around. “ _Typical Mikey,_ ” Connor thought, as something touched him on the shoulder.

One furry rat face met Connor’s eyes as he looked up. “Oh, hello,” Connor said as he noticed Splinter behind him. Master Splinter smiled. “You seem like you would be a good teacher for Michelangelo. Also, you drive as well in the virtual world as you do in real life, son. The adage you made for ‘learning the basics before you can become more advanced’ is what I have been trying to teach my sons for 16 years. You do have a way with words, even if those words only relate to a simple form of entertainment, and not ninjutsu training.” Connor smiled. “Thank you, sensei. My goal to teach all of your sons at least something I am skilled in, even if it involves giving in a little bit to Mikey and letting him have reign of the TV for a couple of hours. You are okay with that, right?”

Master Splinter nodded. “I can do that. It does mean two less hours of hearing about Steve and Joanne’s relationship, but to let my most sprightly son learn something through a video game, then that is a tradeoff I am willing to make. Now, can you turn this game off, please? I would like to watch some television for a little while.” Connor got up, took the game out of the Xbox, and switched the input to the cable box. Handing the remote to Splinter, he said with a laugh, “Here you go, don’t get too crazy now with the soaps, okay?” Before Splinter could reply, however, Mikey cut him off. 

“Connor, can we go up to see your car?” Connor sighed a bit. “Sure, I guess we could.” Raph sent him a glare, which Connor appeased with putting his hand up. “Don’t worry, I’ll make sure he doesn’t touch anything, and if he does, he has the chance to play the fun game of holding onto the Escort’s roof at 40 miles an hour.” Raph chuckled as Connor and Mikey went up to the elevator. Connor started. “You can’t touch anything when we go up here. I promised Raph if you did, you’re going to be hanging onto the roof of my car. Got it?”, Connor asked in a gruff voice. Mikey didn’t know how to respond to the sudden dominance, so he stuttered out a “S-sure.” 

The elevator dinged as they went into the garage. Mikey immediately piped up. “This thing doesn’t really look as cool as you make it seem. In the chase you drove this thing like it had a thousand horsepower, but now here, it looks kind of boring.” Connor laughed. “It is actually pretty boring the way it is right now. I just know how to drive it.” As he closed the hood, Mikey opened the driver’s door and sat down. “This car is old… it doesn’t have airbags or a cool screen anywhere in it!” “Mikey, that’s because it is old, 27 years old to be specific. They didn’t have airbags in cheap cars back then, and they didn’t have the technology to put navigation systems and Bluetooth into everything.”

Mikey replied shortly. “Oh. Okay!” He continued to look around the interior of the Escort. “What are these handles for?”, Mikey asked as he looked at the window cranks. Connor started laughing again. “Those are for the windows. Spin it around and watch.” Mikey turned the handle clockwise, and the window went down. He turned the handle counterclockwise, and it went back up. “That’s so cool!”, Mikey exclaimed. Connor chuckled in reply. “They're cool alright, until you have to roll down the passenger's side. Try leaning over and rolling it down while still keeping your eyes on the ‘road’.” 

Mikey tried, but failed. When he leaned over, he turned the steering wheel slightly right. “Uh oh, I turned the wheel.” “You did Mikey, that amount of steering will send you into the next lane while you are still leaned down. That's when you crash and die when the car uses you for a crumple zone.” Mikey was perplexed. “What's a crumple zone?” “It's the area the car uses to deflect the crash energy around you, like the front end. When a car crashes, parts of it are designed to break or crumple in so it slows down more gently.” Mikey finally understood. “So that’s why cars crumple up in a crash, it’s to protect the people inside!”

Connor smiled at that small revelation. “Yep, you got it. I can explain how the energy works and all that kind of thing, but it's pretty complicated. Just basic laws of physics.” Right after he finished that comment, however, Don came on the intercom. “Connor, Mikey, get down here ASAP. I found quite a few surprising things in my testing.” 

Connor rushed Mikey out of the Escort as he rolled the window back up quickly, closing the door. He rushed over to the elevator and pushed the button, while Mikey still ran around like a chicken with its head cut off. “Come the fuck on, Mikey,” Connor growled. “We are supposed to be getting to Don's lab, not walking around my car.” Mikey quickly joined Connor in the elevator. The doors closed and Mikey asked, “What do you think he found?” Connor’s hands started shaking a bit in nervousness. “I don’t know, Mikey, but I’m nervous. Something in me has changed, and I don’t know what it is.”

Mikey looked at Connor, and grabbed his left arm and held it. “It’ll be okay. If something bad changed with you, we’d know it a lot sooner than if something good happened.” Connor cheered up a bit as Mikey let go of his arm, and the elevator doors opened on the bottom floor. Connor and Mikey both went into Don’s lab, where the rest of the family were waiting. “What’s changed with me, Don?”, asked Connor. “Hang on. I have to explain it in more normal terms first.” Everyone got comfortable, expecting a long speech. “So,” Don started. “I extracted Connor’s DNA from his pre-and-post hair strands, and found something quite interesting, to say the least. DNA associated with certain parts of the brain have changed slightly, influencing things such as mood and reaction, to even such things as responses to threat and the fight-or-flight response, all of them to something more similar to a cold-blooded fighter than a scrawny teenager.”

Raph chuckled a bit. “That it? His mentality has changed?” Connor looked at Raph, and then back to Don in fear. “T...th...that’s n-not it, is it?” Don shook his head carefully. “Mental changes weren’t all I noticed. You’ve gained a threefold increase in healing speed, and your stamina is now pretty much endless. Your metabolism is up twelve percent, and muscle mass can now be gained ten percent quicker.” Connor shivered a bit. “Where did you get all of that from?” “I compared your pre-mutagen DNA to your post-mutagen DNA. There was a… causality I found in all of this though…” 

Don breathed in and out. “I compared the changes incurred in your DNA and compared it against my database, and found something that is common sense, but is still rather terrifying. The mutagen that woman injected into you is a special Foot formula that makes you into their ideal soldier.” Leo’s eyes widened. “What? Don, they made him into a Foot soldier?” “No, no no. There was an issue with the specific mutagen he was injected with, however. None of the mental changes coincide with the changes Shredder used to give to his soldiers, and it looks like Karai kept on the tradition.”

Raph said, “English, Donny. What does all of that mean?” Don stared at the table. “That means that they tried to make him into one of the best Foot soldiers they had to this date. But, the mutagen couldn’t convince him to join them, instead doing the exact opposite. Connor, your brain rejected the mutagen’s persuasion chemicals.” Connor’s head shot up. “So, basically I’m stronger and have a longer stamina so I could technically fight forever, but for Shredder’s enemies instead of his clan?” Don nodded. “To put it simply, yes. I debated all of my findings and cross-referenced other enemies we have had in the past, and none of them had the same characteristics you now possess. If you were an enemy of ours, you would be one of the toughest ones to take down.”

Master Splinter was simply listening to everything that has been said, and raised his hand, making the Turtles stop talking. “Donatello, does this mean we could possibly start training him soon, given the fact that he may gain physical strength quicker than other humans?” “Yes, but still not quite yet. His two broken ribs still have to fully heal before he even starts to practice in the dojo. I’ve told him not to do anything as rash as he did this morning for fear of slowing down his rate of healing, at least until next Tuesday.” Master Splinter simply looked around and nodded. He was the ninja master, of course, and he knew exactly what to do with Connor. But for right now, he still did have to heal. 

“That was all I could find, so everyone can leave now except for Connor. I have a few more things to ask him.”, Don ordered. The rest of the Hamato family left, save for Don and Connor. “So…. what’s going on?”, asked Connor. “Do you remember when I said before that I looked through your search history? I didn’t notice just car part or clothing purchases. In fact, on accident, I came across some of the more… adult things you look at. Not that I’m judging or anything, all of us have preferences and fetishes.” Don stopped as he saw Connor turn ghost white. “W-what are you asking me, Don?” 

“Only a couple of questions that may make me relate to your emotions a bit more,” Don replied, continuing soon after. “First off, are you bisexual? I had noticed a general theme of that.” Connor nodded. “I am, 100 percent. I don’t want to sound rude, but why do you care?” Don chuckled. “I wouldn’t say I was in the closet to start with, but I’m ‘bi’ too, you could say. I don’t really like to label myself, considering I’m open minded in the terms of relationships, even if I’m not in one at the current moment.” Connor was completely relieved. “Man, I thought you were about to fuckin’ start on me. “Are you sure you’re not really gay?”, or “You’re just selfish” are comments I heard all the time. Now that I know you’re in the same boat…”, Connor sighed in relief and paused.

“What about the others? My gaydar is kinda beeping here and there.” Connor said as he laughed. “Well,” Don continued with a laugh. “Leo’s gay. He’s in a relationship with Usagi Miyamoto, a rabbit who works with the Justice Force, who fled his feudal Japanese home world in refuge**. And before you ask, the Justice Force is a group of people we work with. I think Leo could help you catch up with all of them eventually. Mikey’s also gay, in a relationship with Nano, a robot that also works with the Force. He’s made of nanites, so basically he can be any form he wants to, and he can disassemble things down to the molecular level at will. He’s pretty cool, but he still has to learn about human culture rather badly.”

Connor chuckled. “Is he at least trying to figure it out?” Don grinned. “Kind of. He’s watched a lot of gay porn on accident, coming across Mikey’s stash. He kinda knows how it all works, but with help from Mikey, he’s starting to understand how relationships work, thankfully.” Connor laughed. “What about Raph?” Don’s smile fell. “He’s… not showing any signs of anything relating to relationships. I know he watches porn, but I don’t know if it’s straight or gay or even bi, and I don’t know if he’s possibly… fucking… anyone on the side.”, Don commented, trying to watch his words. “Don, there’s no need to stay clean around me of all people, for fuck’s sake. You know how I talk when I’m not gonna be heard by some prick who’s gonna tell me otherwise.” Don nodded. “Yeah, I guess it’s just a bad habit. I never seem to open up quite right. I’m the ‘it’ guy around here. I fix everything, although Raph’s starting to help. I’m the doctor, I’m the psychiatrist, the repairman. It gets pretty fuckin’ old, I can tell you that much.” Connor nodded. “I was the same way for a while with my family.”

Connor continued after a pause. “My sister needed a bit of guidance growing up, and my dad tried but he failed in a couple of circumstances. He and my mother separated when I was 14, because they didn’t get along any more. Married 31 years, but had to split it up. She’s been fucking texting me pretty much every hour since I’ve been gone. She’s asking me where I am, what my dad was doing wrong, to if I left because I killed myself, for fucks’ sake. My sister probably figures I’m still alive somewhere, and my dad’s probably shitting himself thinking I’m either dead or dropped off the face of the earth.” 

Don simply listened, trying to get a fuller picture. “My dad was a great parent, even if he did have some underlying issues, such as working himself to the bone and then popping more stimulants to keep him going, when he really needed sleep. He got so deprived once that he was hallucinating about someone wanting to kill him… it fuckin’ sucked for me and my sister trying to deal with the aftermath. After that, CPS came over to investigate him twice, because someone must have tipped them off, of course. People in the South always have to be in others’ business, they need to know the gossip. What I like about Northerners is that they don’t give half a shit about each other unless something serious happens. ‘Keep on keepin’ on’, I would say. This was about when I got horribly depressed, in some kind of rut. It was the end of freshman year going into sophomore year, of high school of course.”

Don started to speak. “Is that when you noticed a change in attitude, in terms of say, humor, or the types of music you listened to?” Connor nodded. “It wasn’t just that depression that kick started this either. When I was in middle school, I listened to a lot of like dubstep and big room house, when both of those started to kick off. After this point, however, my musical tastes varied quite a bit more. I liked trap music but wanted more of the beat, and that’s how I found rap. I wanted electronic music that was harder and more brutal, and that’s when I found the ‘harder styles’, or what those in the know refer to hardcore and hardstyle, both genres of electronic. One-fifty-five to well over two hundred beats per minute, brutal bass kicks and stuff like that. From there, I got into metal… I guess my music tastes have gotten varied but yet different. That’s in contrast to my humor however, which has grown way darker. The Internet isn’t the best place for a teen to grow up, that’s for sure. I can fucking watch a damn cartel beheading video and critique the technique of how the executioner did it and laugh at him, while the actual victim is left gargling his own blood…”

Don shivered. “Is that maybe why you chose to slit that Foot soldier’s neck, because you had seen it so many times?” “I guess so. It looked easy enough, and it wasn’t like she was in any mood to fight after that, writhing on the ground in the throes of death, slowly bleeding out. I still was shaken up by the chase, the fact that someone was after me to recruit me to their clan in any way possible, to even think about the way I ended the fight was like the worst case scenario. I didn’t need to end it there and then, but it was the easiest way out of there, that’s for sure. I guess it was sake of convenience. She didn’t care about my life, obviously, so why should I care about the remainder of hers that was left? I couldn’t feel any sort of emotion after that fact, I simply got in my car and got the fuck out of there.” 

Don nodded. “I guess it’s your fundamental reaction to death. Don’t think about it, just get out… Also, I have a question.” Connor said, “Shoot. I’ve got all day.” “Do you still have that sword in your car? I’d like to see if the handle still has any fingerprints on it, for obvious reasons.” Connor nodded. “Oh, I almost forgot. Would you like to see the tech I have in my backpack? I thought maybe you’d like to know what I can do… well that’s not the best way to put it, but you get what I mean.”

“Sure, I’d like to. You know I could always use some help with the IT systems around here.”, Don replied. They both got up and walked out of the lab, pushing the button on the elevator as the doors opened. What they didn’t expect in the garage, however, was Raph working on his motorcycle silently. “Uh, hey, Raph. What’s going on?”, Connor asked. Raph shook his head. “Nothin’ really, just cleanin’ my bike. There’s always shit in the plug boots.” Connor nodded. “Hey, maybe later you wanna come with me to this Pep Boys in Queens? I gotta get some shit for the Escort, and I thought you might appreciate the company.” Raph looked up and at Connor. “Ya know what, why not. I need to get out of this damn lair. I’m gettin’ stir crazy in here.”

Connor chuckled. “After I get this damn sword out of the back of my car and show Don some of my technological porn, we can get out of here. I’ll tell Leo where we’re going while I’m down there.” Raph nodded. “I’ll still be up here.” Connor gestured “come here” to Don while he walked over to the back of his car. Twisting his key clockwise in the lock, the latch popped. As Don lifted up the hatch, Connor grabbed the machete-like sword, while Don grabbed the black backpack. Connor closed the hatch and grabbed his key as Don started walking back. He then nodded to Raph as he walked by the bike, and then got onto the elevator. After the doors closed, Connor started the conversation.

“So, what are you going to do with that sword? I know it may have sort of DNA on it, and we know that it belonged to a Foot leader, but what’s the information going to matter? She’s dead…” Don shook his head. “I need to update my database on all goings of the Foot, plus knowing who she works with will give us a better idea of who may go after us in grievance. What’s in this bag, by the way? It’s pretty heavy.” Connor chuckled. “You know how Raph nags at you a bit saying you’ve got everything but the kitchen sink on you? I’m pretty much that way too.”

The doors opened again and the two went into the lab. Connor set the sword down on a desk as Don opened Connor’s bag. “You have two laptops?” Connor nodded. “One for daily computing stuff, one for more specialized uses.” Don pulled out a black Dell 15-inch laptop, and a silver Dell 14-inch laptop. “Let me guess, this D630 here is for the specialized tasks.” Connor smiled. “You know the reputation of these things, right? I had to tear it all apart to get a clump of dust out the size of my pinky finger. It still got hot, but not as miserable as it used to be.” “Where did you get this?”, Don asked. “At a thrift store. It was 5 bucks. They thought it didn’t work, but it booted up fine on wall power.” 

Don plugged the silver Latitude D630 in with its charger, and found an interesting setup. “Is this dual boot?” Connor nodded. “Yup, I have a pretty-much-clean copy of Windows 7 on there, as well as a copy of Lubuntu on it.” “It must have been a bitch to get these Nvidia drivers to work on Lubuntu…” Connor shook his head. “Not really, just a sudo apt-get install command. Finding the legacy drivers, however, were the hard part. Someone at Nvidia thankfully kept up a small server with all of the Linux drivers, so I just plugged in the URL of the package and it installed, had to reboot, and I had the Nvidia drivers working with its control center and all.” 

Don smirked. “I’m glad you have Linux experience. The server that runs our security systems has Fedora on it right now, and I wouldn’t trust anyone who didn’t know what they were doing touching anything.” Connor chuckled. “You gonna see what else is in my bag of tricks?” Don pulled out three flash drives, one labeled with a cartoon tail, one labeled with a Windows logo, and one labeled with a dragon’s head. There were also two battery banks in the bag, with one made to charge laptops. Don opened another zipper. In that section of the bag was an iFixit Pro Tech toolkit, various chargers for all sorts of iPhones and Android-based phones, two tubes of thermal paste, and more.

“Jesus, Connor. There’s a lot of stuff in this bag. Do you always expect to have to tear down something in daily life?” Connor chuckled. “Not really, but it doesn’t hurt to have the tools ready if you ever need to. Be prepared, as the Scouts say.” Don quirked an eye ridge at Connor. “Were you in the Scouts?” “I was, until First Class. Our troop disbanded and there were no other troops locally that were any good. I pretty much hated everyone in each one, they were all insufferably immature, or just generally assholes. I had one kid pester me for a month after I dropped by his troop asking if I was going to join. Shit like that gets old, especially with a nasally-voiced freshman telling you what to do.” 

Don sat back. “I guess you’d rather have gotten your Eagle Scout requirements done, but without anyone in the way?” Connor nodded. “It would have been easy for me to do, but I needed all of these different people to tell me if what I was doing was good or bad. Anyway, what do you think about my little setup?” Don smiled in reply. “I still wonder what you have on these flash drives. A tail, a Windows logo, and a dragon?” Connor laughed. “It’s my little labeling system. The one with the tail is for Tails Linux, a distro that’s crazy about security. It forces all Internet traffic through the Tor network. Edward Snowden used it in his breaches of the CIA. The drive with the Windows logo on it has install images for everything from 98 to 10 on it, and the drive with the dragon is Kali Linux, the distro pen testers*** use.” 

Don understood. “Were you trying to get into some sort of InfoSec career?” “Yep, I was. Good money and relatively peaceful.”, Connor replied. “I just wanted some kind of cushy job where I could go and then get back home and do stuff I actually wanted to do, like building my car into a race car for the streets, or building some sort of drift beater to rip around in. But alas, those plans are kind of on hold for now. Also, are we pretty much done here? I’d like to get something at least done today.” Don nodded. “I’ve gotta test this sword. I know you’ve got plans, too.” Connor smiled as he left the lab, off to find Leo. As expected, Leo was in the dojo, practicing. Even in a dry time for fighting, he still had to find a way to keep his skills sharp. 

Connor opened the dojo door and peeked in. Leo’s moves were both agile and precise, making sure he had every move perfected, slashing his katanas in the air to where they turned into a sort of metal wall. “Leo?”, Connor piped up. Leo stopped, putting his katanas back in the sleeves on his shell. “Anything wrong?”, Leo asked. “Nope, but I was just telling you I’m driving to Queens to pick up some parts for the Escort, and I need to get gas too. Don knows where I’m going, and Raph probably wants to tag along. So, that’s all I had to say.” Leo nodded. “Just keep your phone on, in case we need to track you or something.” Connor chuckled. “Sure thing boss. Don’t need to worry about me, but I know you do.” 

Connor left the dojo, leaving Leo to think. Getting to the elevator, he grabbed his jacket and threw it on as the doors opened. Pulling his keys out of his jacket’s pocket, he twirled them around in his hand before the doors opened to the garage. “You ready to go?”, he asked Raph. Raph set his rag down on the workbench before putting on his coat. “Yeah, I’m ready. I’ve got a list of shit I gotta get, so yeah.” Connor opened the driver’s door of the Escort and got in. Raph got in the passenger’s side as Connor turned the Escort on. Once both doors were closed and automatic seat belts retracted, he popped the Escort into reverse and started to back out of the garage.

Raph started the conversation. “What’s the music for today, Connor?” “Well, since we are going to Queens, I thought that we’d play some rap that hails from Queens, of course.” He then hit play on “Shook Ones, Pt. II” as the garage door opened, revealing the overcast day ahead. “Ooh, Mobb Deep, good one Connor,” Raph said as he chuckled. “You expect us to feel a burnin’ sensation as we get closer to God today?” “Haha, no, but doesn’t mean you can’t listen to hardcore rap when you drive by their hood, huh?” Raph laughed. “I guess so. We are pretty much staying in Long Island City, right?” Connor nodded. “I need to get gas before we get to the Pep Boys, just so you know. My low fuel light just came on, and in New York, you need enough to make sure you can get out of a sticky situation.”

The hardcore rap continued to play over the radio when Connor merged onto the Queensboro Bridge, settling into the easy-going drive. Traffic wasn’t all that bad, and about five minutes later, they pulled into the Long Island City Citgo gas station. Gas wasn’t that much (for New York anyway) at $2.80 a gallon, which was good. Connor turned off the Escort, taking his keys out of the ignition and putting them in his pocket as he opened the door and put his debit card in the pump. “Oh shit, forgot to release the fuel door,” he mumbled as he reached down and pulled the latch. The door sprung open, and he unscrewed the gap. Pulling his card out, he pulled out the nozzle and pressed the button for 87 octane. “Not puttin’ premium in it, are ya Connor?”, Raph asked with a chuckle. “Nope, my car’s designed to run on 87, and putting anything better in it won’t do anything.”

Connor kept his head on a swivel as he pushed the nozzle into the fuel filler of the Escort and locked the lever up. Raph looked through the windows as well, making sure no one was coming up behind Connor. After a minute, the fuel nozzle clicked off, indicating that the car was full. Connor returned the nozzle to the pump, and grabbed his receipt as he opened the door to the Escort. Sitting down and putting his foot on the clutch, he started it as Raph looked out the window. “Doesn’t it feel unnerving, being topside while ya know people are lookin’ for ya?”, Raph asked. “Uh, I guess so. I’m just watching if someone’s going to attack me, but I doubt it at 1 in the afternoon, anyway.” Connor slowly eased off the clutch in first gear, only needing to drive two blocks to get to the parts store.

Turning left into the parking lot of the Pep Boys, Connor crawled around in first gear, getting a spot near the front door. “So, what did you want me to get while I’m in there?”, Connor asked as he turned off the Escort. Raph grabbed a slip of paper out of his belt. “Just this. Don’t need that much but doesn’t hurt to stock up while you have the chance.” The list contained 4 feet of fuel-injection type hose, 4 NGK CR8EH-9 spark plugs, 4 quarts of 10W-40 synthetic oil, and an Amsoil EAOM103 oil filter. “That’s a bit of a list, you expect me to pay for it?”, Connor asked. Raph pulled a single 50 and a 20 dollar bill out of his belt. “This should cover it, I think. I was about to let you in there like a retard.” “Thanks, I’m gonna be spending enough on this piece of shit...” Connor said as he waved his hands in the air, pointing at the Escort. “Keep on lookout, it’ll be a little bit for me to get all of this shit.” 

Connor then opened the door and went into the store with a shopping cart, while Raph looked at the entrance and exits of the parking lot. “ _All of these people just going about their normal ass lives,_ ” Raph thought to himself. “They don’t even know we exist… it’s weird...”, he said aloud. Connor was in the store, grabbing a variety of parts for the Escort. The thing it needed the worst was a set of handbrake cables, because it barely holds the car on the very last click. The fact that he was wrenching on it during a car chase didn’t help that fact. An oil change, spark plug swap, a run of Seafoam through its current oil, and a brake job would be all he would be doing after that, but these parts all added up of course. Going to the oil aisle, he grabbed a 5-quart container of Castrol GTX full synthetic 5W-30 oil, and a Mobil 1 filter. Putting those in the cart, he found Raph’s filter in the motorcycle section. He pulled out his phone to text Raph. “Yo, what brand oil do you want?” was what he sent. 

Raph heard his phone go off, to a text… from Connor. He smirked and replied, “I’d like Mobil 1 please.” Connor found a 5 quart jug of Mobil 1 10W-40 full synthetic and put it in the cart. He pushed the cart towards the counter, seeing the unamused worker behind the counter groan, as if he was going to need help. Connor smiled as he saw the woman come around the counter. “Whaddya need honey?”, she asked. “I actually need quite a few parts, matter of fact. First off, I need some brake parts for my car.” She looked over to him, expecting something. “Oh, sorry. 1991 Ford Escort LX, one point nine liter, manual transmission.” She typed in the information, and pulled up a parts list. “Okay. I need a set of front brake rotors and pads, rear drums and a shoe kit with the springs, two rear wheel cylinders, and a set of handbrake cables. Oh, and some spark plugs. Best stuff you got.” 

She printed out the part numbers, going on the shelves in the back to get the brake parts. She came back with seven boxes in varying size. “Anything else?” “Sadly, yeah. I need...” Connor said as he furnished Raph’s list. “These spark plugs, and the hose.” She took the list and popped the part number for the plugs in the computer. They popped up, and she again printed out where they were on the shelves, and grabbed a pre-made length of fuel hose and set it on the counter. She went back to get the spark plugs for Raph’s bike and the Escort while Connor jogged across the store. He forgot Seafoam, the thing that’ll probably make the most change. He grabbed two cans of the stuff, and four cans of brake parts cleaner. With his arms full, he put all of the cans in the cart when he got to it. The woman walked back from the shelves with eight individual spark plugs in separate boxes.’

“That it?” She asked. Connor nodded. “Just check me out, and I’ll be out of your hair.” After checking out the variety of items, the total added up to $210.63. Connor handed her the $70 Raph gave him for the bike parts, and then pulled out his debit card for the rest. The woman piped up though. “What’re ya gettin’ all this crap for anyway?” Connor chuckled. “Doing a tuneup and a brake job on my car, and needed to get some stuff for my friend’s motorcycle.” The POS system printed out a lengthy receipt, and she handed it to Connor. “Thank you for the help,” he said as he was walking out. “Hope you have a great day, once you get out of here at least.” As he opened the door, there was a faint cackling behind the counter. 

Raph saw Connor walk out with a cart full of stuff. Connor gestured to Raph to pull the latch for the hatch, but he didn’t get it. He had to make a “hatch going up” gesture with his arm for Raph to finally understand it, going down by the driver’s seat and pulling the lever, making the latch in the back pop. Connor pulled the hatch open as Raph started to speak. “This thing needed a lot of shit, didn’t it?” Connor laughed. “That’s what happens when you go in a car chase with a car made to take some cunt to and from work in 1991.” He started loading the boxes and bags in the cargo area, as Raph continued. “How much did it come out to for all this?” “Just over 200 bucks. I was prepared to spend it anyway, so it’s no big deal.” He closed the hatch and returned the cart to the corral, before getting back in the Escort. “Hey Raph, you wanna switch seats? You haven’t driven this thing yet.” Raph nodded. “Sure, guess I could drive it back. It’s not a motorcycle but it’s close enough.”

They both walked around the car, Raph making sure to keep his face hidden under the hood of his coat. “Here’s the keys,” Connor said as he held them out. “Clutch grabs in the middle-top of the pedal. You should be fine.” Raph started the Escort in neutral. “Uh, Connor, there’s no tach.” Connor laughed. “Shift by ear. You’ve done that before, I know. Rev limit cuts at 6 grand, and it audibly cuts fuel.” Raph nodded. “Aight, let’s get this shitshow on the road.” Raph pushed the clutch in a couple of times to get a feel for it. “Clutch is pretty light.”, he commented. He pushed the clutch back in and put the gear lever into reverse. The car started rolling forward very slowly, and Raph freaked out a bit. “It’s just like your bike, except reverse is first gear, but backwards.” Connor said. Raph then started letting the clutch out with a bit of gas, getting the bite point not quite right, but smooth enough. Shifting into first gear, he eased out of the parking lot.

This was the first time Raph drove a stick-shift car, but he was getting the hang of it quickly. “It really is just like my bike,” Raph said. “Clutch and gears.” Connor nodded. “It’s pretty easy once you know how it all works. My problem is now I have to teach April how to drive stick. It’s gonna be a little more difficult.” Raph chuckled darkly. “A little more? She scares Casey in her van because she tries to drive faster and faster without realizing what happens if she fucks up. I’m guessing she asked you to teach her to actually drive, right?” “Yup, she did. I accepted the offer, because it means I can have some fun in her van, and I can teach someone some of my skills. It’s a win-win situation really. I still have to go meet with her sometime soon, by the way.” 

Raph laughed a bit before asking a question. “Hey, would it be okay if I popped the clutch at this next light and lit up the front tires? I wanna feel what it’s like.” Connor said, “Well, I guess you could. It’s pretty fun to do.” Raph chuckled nervously. “Okay, if you say so... “ Connor eased his nerves a bit. “I don’t give a fuck if you break my car. I think treating it well is giving it hell, because if you break something, that’s a chance for me to upgrade whatever broke. Just put the clutch in, put it in first, foot in it until you hit the rev limiter, and drop the clutch. It’s simple.” 

Raph got up to the traffic light, watching for the traffic to stop on the opposite direction. The red light for the crossroad turned on, and Connor said “Go!”. Raph floored the gas and dumped the clutch when the light went green, the revs shot up, and the steering wheel started to shake, with the front tires scrabbling for traction. “Stay in it!”, Connor shouted. Raph did as such, keeping his foot on the floor until the car finally caught traction. Raph kept on and shifting into second gear when the rev limiter started tapping. “That was actually pretty fun, Connor, for being such a shitbox. I never knew a car with so little power could actually light up the tires!” Raph started giggling like a little girl. “Whoa, hey big man, watch it, you might need to wear a tutu soon enough,” Connor joked, which got him a light punch in the arm from Raph. “Also, in the rain, I let it break loose all the time. Great fun.”, Connor commented.

The rest of the ride to the lair was filled with lighthearted conversation and joking. The door to the garage opened as Raph pulled in to the garage five minutes later. “Do ya want the back end towards the bench?” “Yeah, it’ll help me with unloading all this shit. You can help me out right?” Raph nodded. “Sure I can.” Raph cut a three-point turn in the garage, getting the Escort’s back end aligned with the lift while he eased on the bite point of the clutch in Reverse. “Uh, what do I do to park?”, Raph asked. “Oh. Turn it off, and then put it in first gear and pull up the handbrake.” 

Raph did exactly that, and then pulled up the release for the hatch. “Oh, Raph, could you pop the hood while you’re still down there? It’s on the bottom of the dash.” Raph pulled the handle, and the hood opened with a thunk. Connor opened the hood before opening the hatch, putting the prop in place. He then opened the hatch, setting everything on the third workbench. “Here’s your spark plugs, oil and filter, and hose, Raph.”, Connor said as he pointed to a small pile of parts on the side of the table. “Thanks, I’m gonna put this up for later. Can’t hurt to have a stock of parts when you need ‘em.” Connor nodded. “I was the same way, had even a spare timing belt at home in case mine blew.” 

Raph asked, “Are you gonna get to work now?” Connor shook his head. “I need lunch first, and my car’s gotta cool down.” He started walking to the elevator, pushing the button to get back down to the lair. When the doors opened up downstairs, he went straight for the kitchen, to make a peanut butter and jelly sandwich. Bread, peanut butter, jelly, put together on a plate. He grabbed a Monster out of the fridge, sitting down at the dining table. Cracking open the energy drink, he chugged half of it down before even taking a single bite of the sandwich. 

He polished off the sandwich in about four minutes. Rinsing off his plate and putting it in the drainer, he had a thought. “ _Why don’t I cook a whole Southern-style breakfast for everyone in the morning?_ ” It sounded like a good idea, it could make him feel a little more at home, and it could let everyone try some real Southern comfort food. It’s a win-win situation, but he had to tell Mikey first, considering that he was pretty much the boss in the kitchen. Everyone but Leo could really cook in the family, each specializing in something a little different. 

Grabbing his drink, Connor went into the living room to talk to Mikey. “Hey Mikey,” Connor started. Mikey jumped a bit before he paused his game. “Yo, ‘sup bro?” “I wanted to ask you something.” “Sure, what is it?” “You think I can cook breakfast for all of us tomorrow? You can watch over me or whatever if you need to.” “No, I believe you won’t kill yourself in the kitchen. You’re not Leo, who tried to pour water in a skillet full of oil to cool it down… He didn’t get that oil doesn’t mix with water.” Connor visibly cringed. “Did he learn, though?” Mikey chuckled innocently. “Probably not, so he now understands he shouldn’t be alone making anything but a sandwich. Also, what are you planning on making, Connor?’ “Oh, nothing much… just a whole Southern-style breakfast spread. Eggs, bacon, hash brown casserole, biscuits and gravy, grits. That kinda stuff.” 

Mikey’s eyes widened. “Oooh, that sounds good. I’ve never had a Southern-style breakfast before, and I don’t think any of the guys have either. Sounds good.” “Okay, I’ll get some recipes later and get started at like seven. You’ll be up, right?” “I’ll be awake when I smell the bacon, that’s for sure.” Connor laughed as he left the living room. “Tomorrow morning will be great,” he thought. Now, to talk to Don, Leo and Master Splinter, for a form of update from the three of them. He walked over to Splinter’s shoji and knocked quietly. A faint “Come in!” was able to be heard through the door. Connor slid the door open, and looked to see a smiling Master Splinter. 

“Come in, my son,” Master Splinter said as he greeted Connor with a smile. “Please, sit. I can tell you’re not one for kneeling.” Connor chuckled a little as Splinter continued to smile. “What did you want to talk about son?”, he asked while Connor sat on a small cushion. “Well, it was not a question per se, more of a comment. I am starting to feel more comfortable in your home, which is even surprising for me. I was not the type of person who liked change at all, even despising it when it wasn’t completely necessary, much like Leonardo in that respect. Change for the sake of it doesn’t have to be carried out, but in some cases, like me fleeing the Foot, it had to be done.”

Master Splinter smiled. “I am glad that your attitude has shifted towards in regards toward us as a family, and towards change in general. However, I must ask about what I have heard from Leonardo… is it true that you were awake this morning beating on Raphael’s punching bag?” Connor nodded. “Yes, it was. Now, from what Donatello has told me, it could relate to the changes the mutagen caused in my body… I now apparently can be a little more rash in decisions as a cause, as well as the amount of stamina I now possess is now virtually limitless, taking into account that before the changes, I was just a typical lazy teenager.” 

Splinter’s whiskers twitched in response. “Son, what do you mean by typical? You are nothing of the sort.” Connor chuckled. “I was stuck in the routine. School, work, home. Repeat 5 times a week, and two times a week it was work, home. I was stuck in a state of ‘going through the motions’ and it was very tiring. I got very bored and depressed, this is where I learned a lot of my skills now. Having nothing to do but throw your car around corners or fix computers really builds up skills fast. Anyway, I had a question.” 

Master Splinter smiled again, pleased that Connor was happy. “What is the question my son?” “Would you like to have a full Southern-style breakfast tomorrow morning? I’ll be cooking it, and I know what to make. I’m afraid pizza and onigiri must be repetitive after a while.” Master Splinter’s whiskers started moving in response. “That sounds great. I would like to try some Southern food. My specialty is Japanese, but I can expand my horizons a bit, don’t you think?” Connor laughed. “Pizza gyoza are pretty good, but they aren’t the only food on this earth. Anyway, that was all I had, I’ll leave you to… well… what were you doing?” Master Splinter chuckled. “I was simply meditating. I should teach you sometime my son.” Connor chuckled. “Maybe sometime later, sensei. I need to talk to both Leonardo and Donatello and then get to work on my car.” 

Connor got up and left the shoji, going up the stairs to Leo’s bedroom. The door was open surprising, considering Leo liked privacy as much as possible. Connor poked his head around the door frame. Leo was reading “The Art of War”, because of course he was. “Yo, Leo, reading Sun Tzu? Now I get where some of your tactics come from.” Leo chuckled. “Only one of my seven copies. What’s up?” “Oh, I was just telling you I got home, obviously, and I’m about to go up to work on my car. Raph drove my car back, he loved it.” “Did he make the wheels spin?”, Leo asked incredulously. “Only after I told him to. He caught into the act driving the car like you should, wringing everything out of it.” “Connor, seriously?” The human nodded.

“It was all under my guidance, so there’s that. Also, I need to talk to April soon. She asked for me to give her some driving lessons later this week in terms of evasive maneuvers and teach her how to drive a manual car. And I think Don needs to ask her about if she knows anything about the mutagen I was injected with, at least I’m assuming. You think we can set this all up on maybe like Friday night?” Leo nodded. “Sure. Also, I can attest to April needing driving lessons. She almost made me throw up once throwing her van around.” Connor laughed. “That’s what I’ve heard from Casey and Raph so far. I’ve got my work cut out for me, don’t I?” Leo chuckled. 

“I guess you do. It’s also a good teaching experience. Anyway, I’ll leave you to work on your car. The thing saved your life, the least you could do is to keep it maintained, I assume.” Connor was about to leave before the thought about breakfast popped up. “You good for a Southern-style breakfast tomorrow?” Leo looked like he was confused for a second, and then smiled. “Sure. That sounds great. Mikey helping you?” “Maybe, I do need to make a run to the store to grab some ingredients tonight though. How would I go about that?” Leo thought for a second. He hasn’t needed to get groceries usually, since Mikey usually took care of it. “Well, you can go through the sewers and find a bodega somewhere that carries what you need, or drive down to a Gristedes or a Morton Williams somewhere near here. They’d have a higher selection of food, which I’m guessing you are probably going to need.” Connor nodded. “Alright, thanks. I keep forgetting it’s not like my home, where there’s a Walmart one and a half miles away open 24 hours with absolutely everything you need at a moment’s notice.” Leo chuckled as Connor left the room, heading toward Don’s lab. 

Connor poked his head in, seeing that Don wasn’t doing anything highly critical. He walked in and sat down next to Don. Don didn’t say anything for about five seconds, before greeting him. “Hey, Connor, what’s going on?” Connor chuckled. “Nothing is going on with me, what about you? You find anything on that sword yet?” Don nodded. “The woman you killed was one of the Foot Clan’s higher ranking leaders. She was looking over about 100 people at any given time. Sadly, all good and bad things have to come to an end.” “Well, that was the opposite of poignant,” Connor said with a laugh. “You suspect anyone will be coming after me for that move?” 

Don shook his head. “I highly doubt it. When you got the van to roll, all recording was cut off, and I doubt Karai knows of anything that happened past that point. There’s probably a sort of unspoken understanding that you killed her, but nothing they would want to pursue further. To be a Foot leader, you pretty much only need to have a warm body and yell. So, yeah. Also, I need to talk to April about that mutagen.” “I already got that covered for you, Don. April’s coming Friday to both talk to you and so we can start “Connor’s High-Performance School Of Stunt Driving Extravaganza” later that night.” Don chuckled. “Yeah, she needs the help, I can give you that.” Connor laughed. “Yeah, everyone else has pretty much filled me in.” Connor got up and started walking out of the lab, before Don interrupted. 

“Do you have anything on your mind besides going up to work on your car?”, Don asked. Connor actually did. He was thinking about the relationship question Don popped on him earlier. He had been thinking about the Turtles, and how suddenly he started to become attracted to them, Don in particular. Leo and Mikey were already in relationships, and Raph was a mystery, possibly the type of guy to think “a hole is a hole”. Don had the most chops in being in a relationship, but Connor didn’t know how to break through to him. 

“Nope, I’m good,” he called back. “Just going up, holler if you need me.” Don nodded in reply, getting back to reading his documentation. Don had the same thought in his mind, too. “How to get through to Connor” was the only thing on his mind. The teenager that just found them happened to understand him fully and have the same mindset? Jackpot.

* * *

* Reverse entry - a maneuver in professional drifting that involves the car going sideways at a slip angle larger than 90 degrees, literally making the car go backwards when sliding into the corner. Look it up on YouTube. It’s nuts.

** Usagi’s situation is a tough one, basically in this universe, Lord Noriyuki lost the fight to Hebi, and badly. Usagi’s world went into chaos, and he couldn’t do anything about it. Fearing being killed, he knew there were safe places in Splinter’s world that he could stay but still do some good against crime. The Justice Force took him in under their figurative wing, and Leo had pretty much had a crush on him since they had first met, so it all worked out for the better.

*** pen tester - A shortened version of “penetration tester”, a person who tests security in computer systems and networks for security holes and bugs. They’re professional hackers, basically, except working for only one company.

* * *


	5. Southern Comfort

* * *

RECOMMENDED LISTENING:

Blackout - Pegboard Nerds

The title fits. Also a good song. That’s my reasoning.

The Devil Went Down to Georgia - The Charlie Daniels Band

Referenced right at the beginning of the chapter. Can’t get more Southern if you tried. Every Georgian most likely knows this song, it’s played at the Lasershow at Stone Mountain every summer, etc. 

Sweet Home Alabama - Lynyrd Skynyrd 

If I’m talking about the South, I had to mention this. You can already sing the words in your head, admit it.

* * *

* * *

Tuesday, January 30, 2018, 3:17 PM

* * *

The elevator doors opened, and Raph looked over. Connor walked out and looked around before clapping his hands together. “Time to get to work!”, he belted out. Raph laughed. “You’re excited, aren’t ya?” Connor chuckled as he gestured to the Escort. “This shitbox saved my life, you know I’m going to spoil it a bit.” “I mean… it makes sense, but ya look ecstatic.” “Oh, it’s because I haven’t really had a chance to work on it. My handbrake cables have been pretty shot for like 3 months, it’s just that I hardly have had to use it… before being in a car chase of course. I still suck at hill starts, and I kinda need the handbrake to make sure I don’t roll back. Here in New York, there’s not like any, so that’s good.” 

Raph chuckled. “The Devil didn’t go down to Georgia, your handbrake cables just went up to heaven.” Connor started laughing, visibly struggling for composure. “First, I could use a damn gold fiddle right about now, and boy, how in the fuck do you know that song? If I don’t get an answer, you better run boy run, ‘cause I’d tan that hide of yours in a hot minute!” Connor asked in a spot-on Northern Georgia redneck accent. 

Raph started in a raucous fit of laughter, responding in a thicker Brooklyn accent than usual. “Ya do play the Southern card if ya need ta, don’cha? An’ I heard that song earlier, right afta ya came to the lair. Thou’ it’d be fittin’.” Connor stopped laughing, returning to his usual Atlanta-non-accented voice. “I like how you looked that up. Never knew a mutant turtle from probably-not-Brooklyn would be listening to one of the most Southern songs ever made.” 

Connor then walked over to his car, positioning the lift arms under the Escort’s lift points. “Oh, I almost forgot this.” Connor popped the hatch open and pulled out a thick red binder. “What’s that?”, Raph asked. “Instead of asking, why don’t you come and look?” Raph walked over to the workbench and sat agape. “You got a damn service manual for the Escort?” “Yup, I did. You know how shitty Haynes’ manuals are.” Raph nodded. “‘Let’s cut out as many steps as possible and let the little guys figure it out’ is their motto.” “So, for $23 on eBay, here we go. With the electrical/vacuum troubleshooting manual too. Also, I’m about to get to work, so I’d prefer not to be bothered, if that’s okay with you.” Raph nodded in reply yet again. 

Connor then ducked in his car to get a hair tie, pulling it around his wrist. “Hey Raph, watch this.” He then started twisting his hair up, pulling it into a bun in ten seconds flat. “Jesus, how do you do that? All that hair… just gone!” “Haha, you wanna see how I do it?” “Sure, it’s like magic.” Connor pulled his hair out of the tie, letting it drop before pulling the tie out of his hair and putting it back around. “Step one: twist it all up.” He took his fingers and twisted his hair counterclockwise, stopping when it started to twist itself around. 

“Step two: start wrapping it all around.” Taking the now long braid of twisted hair, he twirled it around a few times until it started to a resemble a bun. When the end of his hair was tucked in, he grabbed the bun with his right hand. “Step three: tie it up.” With his left hand, he took the hair tie and pulled it around his hand and the bun, twisting it before tying it again. “Bam, all done. Easy and all my hair won’t be caught in brake lines and subframes now.” Raph chuckled. “Let me guess, you’ve already learned that lesson.” “Yup. Changing my oil on the ground, some spilled past the pan, and oh look, my hair is now soaked in old 5W-30…”

After saying that, he then pushed the button to lift the Escort in the air. With the locks clicking as the car slowly rose, the sight was one to behold for sure. When the car was in the air right above Connor’s head, he let go of the button, making sure the car was settled before getting to work. “You are really careful around lifts, aren’t ya?” asked Raph. “Yep, I am. I don’t want this one ton thing of metal killing me, there’s already enough things in my life trying to get me while I’m down. I hated working on our dirt driveway because the jack and the stands would sink into the dirt, which sucked for both safety and convenience. When you were done, you had to dig the stands out… while the jack was slowly sinking back in holding the weight. I’m surprised we haven’t had a car fall while all of that happened.” Raph nodded. “Makes sense. I guess it’s smart to be paranoid about things while they’re in the air above you, huh?” 

Connor walked around looking for the oil drain tank, not seeming to find it. “Where’s your oil drain?”, he asked Raph. Raph didn’t look up as he said, “Behind the cabinets on the back corner.” Connor went to the corner of the garage and saw the bright red tank. “Thanks,” he replied. “No problem.” Rolling the oil drain tank under the Escort, he grabbed a three-eighths inch drive ratchet and a socket to get the drain bolt off. Unscrewing it carefully out of the oil pan, he held it until the last few threads, pulling it off by hand. The oil drain was aimed perfectly, so there was no spillage onto the floor. Looking at the drain plug, there were no steel particles on it, so his engine wasn’t wearing abnormally. 

After all of the oil drained, he screwed the plug back in, tightening it to a snug, but not overly tight torque. Next was the filter, and this one sucked. When you unscrew the filter on a 1.9 liter Escort, as Connor learned, the oil tended to slosh everywhere on the subframe. Being prepared for that, he grabbed a roll of shop towels, ready for the inevitable shower of oil he was going to take. Grasping the filter, he slowly cracked its seal, ready to turn the filter upside down when it broke loose. 

Oil started to flow down the car, dripping off the side of the filter not two turns later. Connor then finished it, turning the filter to where it held the oil, before putting it into the catch of the drain tank. Grabbing the shop towels, he cleaned the remaining oil off of the subframe, engine block, and filter mating surface before grabbing the new filter. Putting a coat of oil on the new rubber seal, he threaded it on, giving it an extra quarter turn to make sure it sealed. 

Removing the catch tank from under the car, he put the car back on the ground and opened the hood. Looking through the cabinets, he found a funnel that would work. Opening the oil fill cap and putting the funnel in, he cracked open the jug of Castrol synthetic oil. Pouring exactly four quarts in, he checked the dipstick and it read Full Cold, so that was done. Oil change, check. He removed the funnel and replaced the cap, and started the Escort. Still ran fine and it didn’t have any new noises, so he shut it off and closed the hood, raising the car into the air once again, for a longer period of time.

The brakes were next. Lowering the car to chest height, Connor grabbed a 19 millimeter socket and a electric impact gun, he whizzed the lugnuts off of all four wheels, removing them from the car and setting them off to the side. As suspected, the front brake rotors were all grooved, and the pads didn’t look all that great from the kind of driving the Escort got over the past week. He walked over to the mini-fridge in the garage, and grabbed his second Monster of the day. This wasn’t going to be a hard job, it was just going to be time-consuming. 

Connor cracked open the can, drinking a couple of gulps of the energy drink before setting it on the workbench. “Hey Raph, do you have any anti-seize?”, Connor asked. Raph grunted. “It’s in one of the drawers somewhere. You need graphite or copper?” “Copper preferably.” “It’s in one of the middle drawers on the left-hand side.” Connor then walked over to the drawers, and bam, there it was, a little bottle of copper-colored goop. He took it and set it on the bench, waiting until he took the brake system of the Escort apart. First step, get the calipers off. Two bolts around the back, and the whole assembly slides out of the bracket. He took a bungee cord and held the caliper to the suspension, to not stretch the rubber brake line.

Next to come off was the caliper backing bracket, two more bolts and it came off. Raph was just looking at the situation shocked. “How did those bolts just come off? Are they not rusted?” Connor chuckled. “Not really. Remember, my car is a Southern car, so there’s no salted roads in the winter.” Raph figured it out. “Oh. That’s why all these guys want Southern cars, huh?” Connor laughed. “Yup. It’s great to not have too many stuck bolts when you go to do something. Also my use of anti-seize and threadlocker the last time I did a brake job helped.” 

Connor set the bracket down on the bench and got to work on the rotor. It didn’t want to budge, so some percussive persuasion was needed. He grabbed a heavy hammer and started beating on the rotor hat. The rotor finally cracked off the hub, and he pulled it off. Now, onto the new parts. Connor grabbed a can of brake cleaner, the roll of shop towels, and the new rotors and set it all on the bench. Opening the new rotors, he sprayed them down with the brake cleaner and wiped them off. If you don’t do that, there’s an oily coating on the rotors that will not let the brake pads work properly. Taking the new rotor to the left front wheel, he applied the anti-seize to the rotor hat and the hub, making sure the next time he won’t need to beat on the rotor to get it to come off. 

Slotting the new rotor in place, he then took the caliper backing bracket and bolted it in place. Next was the brake pads. Taking the old ones out of the caliper along with the brake hardware, he pushed the piston in with a C-clamp. Before putting the new pads in, he coated the surfaces the brake pads rubbed in anti-seize, to stop any uneven wear. Slotting the new pads in, he then slid the caliper over the new rotor after greasing its guide pins and tightened them down. First brake replacement, complete. Doing the same exact thing on the right front, it took him about half an hour. After the front brakes were the rear brakes, which were drums. They’re more complicated, and there was still the issue of the handbrake cables to deal with, which ran to the rear brakes.

“Ugh, I have to get the center console apart,” Connor thought as he lowered the car down and got in. Removing the one screw holding the back of the console to the floor, he lifted the rear half of the console up, and set it on the back seat. He needed to look at the shop manual to see where he needed to go from there, because he was kind of lost. Turning the red binder to the brake section, he flipped the pages to the parking brake heading. “Remove equalizer nut… then remove the rear exhaust and heatshield?”, Connor complained out loud. Raph laughed as he tightened a bolt on his bike. “They always make it harder than it has to be, don’t they?” Connor groaned. “Yeah, they do. This is a damn shitbox, it shouldn’t take all this shit to remove the cables! Did they design the car around the handbrake cables?”

Connor continued groaning as he started hammering the rear brake drums off. After they came off, he sprayed the insides of each drum with a healthy helping of brake cleaner. The inside of drum brakes get awfully dusty, with a large coating of iron particles that happens to get everywhere. Even after spraying the solvent through the rear drums, there was still a coating of black grime on his hands already. Removing the series of springs in order, ten minutes later the entirety of the brake was disassembled, ready for new parts. Connor then moved to the other side, repeating the same exact process, getting covered yet again in acrid brake dust. 

After washing his hands with an abrasive shop soap to get the majority of the grime off of his hands, he then got the new brake drums, shoes, and springs out of their respective boxes. “Oh,” Connor reminded himself that he needed to ask Mikey what was for dinner. He pulled out his phone and opened his messaging app, sending “Yo, what’s for dinner? Are we getting some sort of takeout?” to Mikey. He noticed the little typing indicator pop up. “Pizza okay?” Connor replied. “Yep. I want some kind of meat lover’s pizza.” “Haha, just like Raph. Alright, I got you. Still working?” “Yep, my rear brakes are currently apart right now.” 

Connor then set his phone down and continued. He sprayed the inside of the new brake drums with brake cleaner, and set the springs out in the layout in which they are installed. Putting anti-seize on the six contact points on the backing plate, he then laid out the shoes and the main adjuster on the car. The installation of the variety of springs was simple on both sides, so that was good. With the brake shoes now on, all that was to be done was a bleed of the wheel cylinders, but a gravity bleed did the trick as he loosened the bleeder, letting all of the air out of the system. 

Now, onto those pesky handbrake cables. He removed the rear exhaust pipe and heat shield, as his shop manual told him to do. Next was to go back in the car and remove the equalizer spring, and then remove the cables from the equalizer plate. He fed them through the floor of the car and then got out and lifted the Escort back into the air. The handbrake cables lay dangling, which was good. He unbolted the brackets holding them to the floor pan of his car, and then removed them from the rear brakes he just finished rebuilding. “Installation is the opposite of removal,” Connor muttered as he grabbed the new set of cables, one for each side. He attached the end of the cable to each side, and then grabbed the bracket, bolting it to the car with the cables in line. 

The hardest part of installation was feeding the new cables through the floorpan of the car, but after about three minutes, he had them through. Lowering the car once more, he got in and fastened the cables to the equalizer plate, putting the spring back on. Back up in the air for the exhaust and heat shield, back down for the center console to get put back in. Tightening the last screw, he sat in the driver’s seat and pulled the handbrake up and down a few times. It felt way better than before, like it was actually doing something in the middle of its travel. Connor grinned. “That’s work well done, I think.” He got out and then lifted the Escort to chest height, putting its 13 inch steel wheels back on, whizzing the lugnuts back on with the impact gun, setting the clutch to 100 foot-pounds of torque. Raph looked over. “All done?” Connor grinned. “Yes, I am. I love having a lift to actually work on my car, instead of barely getting shit done on a dirt driveway. I could have done all of this on the ground, but it wouldn’t have been any fun.” 

Raph chuckled. “Yeah, it would be hell. So, in just less than two hours, you changed your oil, did a complete brake job, and replaced your handbrake cables?” Connor chuckled. “I have time to do more, but I don’t know what I need to do… I guess give it a bit of an Italian tune-up, but I’m gonna do that later when I go and test the handbrake with Mikey.” One of Raph’s eyes lifted. “With Mikey? Where are you going?” “To get groceries for tomorrow’s breakfast, of course. Also, I have a feeling that he might like me sliding this thing around in the rain a bit on the way there. His eyes were like anime-sized when I was being chased in that video, and when I was playing Forza this morning.” Raph laughed. “He does fawn over you in driving skill terms… You’re maybe right. He’d like a bit of stunt driving. Not gonna do anything crazy with him in the car, are ya?” Connor chuckled. “Well, now that you command me like that Mom, I guess I won’t be throwing reverse 180s with him in the car…”

Raph chuckled. “Ya goin’ back to the lair?” Connor nodded. “You too?” “I’m pretty much done up here. Done everything I could ta my bike while not watching ya work. Couldn’t help it, ya get shit done right and quick. Does the handbrake work?” Connor shrugged. “It feels like it’s working, maybe I can whip the car around in the garage to really see if it’s working?” Raph laughed. “I’ll move my bike, juuuust in case.” Raph pushed his motorcycle to the back wall of the garage, while Connor started the Escort and backed it up towards the exit of the garage. “You ready?”, he called as he put the car into first gear. Raph shot him a thumbs up as Connor dumped the clutch, getting up to 20 miles per hour before flicking the weight around and yanking the handbrake, spinning the Escort around 180 degrees in the main garage area. 

He popped the car in neutral and started laughing. “That was too much fun,” he thought. Raph was also laughing. “Holy shit, you got within inches of that damn wall! You really can drive!” Connor blushed a bit and replied jokingly, “Nah, the handbrake works. It didn't before. Job done.” He then got back in the car and backed it into his lift bay. 

Raph started the conversation as Connor stepped out of the car. “Now we ready to go down?” Connor nodded. “After that, we don't really need any more excuses to break shit tonight. What do you think Don will say about these tire marks?” Raph chuckled. “He's gonna hate it, but if he brings up the video, he'll have the same reaction I did.” Connor laughed. “I hope he does. You know what Don's wrath entails.”

Raph chuckled darkly as they walked towards the elevator. As the two of them came out of the elevator not a minute later, Mikey started jumping around. “Yay, Connor and Raph are finally done! Now can we get pizza, Leo?” Leo laughed. “Sure, Mikey. Also, Connor, you have grease all over your face.” Connor froze. “Do I?” He flipped on the front-facing camera on his phone. Black streaks were on his cheeks and forehead. He chuckled in reply. “I guess I do. I'll be right back.”

As Connor left for the bathroom, Leo started. “How was he up there?” he asked. “He was… Him? I dunno what kinda answer ya want…” “Oh. I just wanted to know how he worked.” “Ah. Okay. Yeah, he pounded out the work he needed to do, without missing a single detail. Kinda like Donny in that respect. Pounded down a Monster and then just went to it. Cleaned up oil and shit that spilled out of the filter, greased all friction points with anti-seize in the brakes. Didn't leave one spot untouched. By the way we are going to need more Monsters. He loves those damn things.” Leo chuckled in reply. “He and Mikey are going shopping later so I'll tell him to get some.”

Connor then came out of the bathroom, after washing his face and hands. “What's going on?”, he asked. Raph chuckled. “Nothing but the fact that you need to get some more Monster while you're out. You like coffee?” Connor laughed. “Yeah, course I do. I know the perfect temperature to brew coffee at, to what pressure to tamp a double shot into a portafilter… I'm a coffee fiend, if you couldn't tell.” Raph laughed and looked at Leo. “Ha, told ya. He's the type to go crazy into anythin’ he likes.”

Connor smiled. “I obsess over small things even if they don't make sense at all. Like coffee, for example. Anyway, Mikey, weren't you supposed to be getting pizza? I'm hungry. If you like looking at me that's one thing, but you're already taken, correct?” Mikey paled in response, both to the fact that Connor knows about his relationship with Nano, and that he hadn't left yet. “O-okay…” he mumbled as he dialed Tony’s, ordering the pizzas. Leo and Raph looked agape at Connor before Mikey rushed out of the lair embarrassed. “The hell was that?” asked Raph. Connor chuckled. “Using a little bit of my new-found knowledge, and I was hungry. That’s my excuse.” Leo shook his head. “Let me guess, you know about my relationship as well.” Connor nodded. “Usagi, right? He sounds cool.” Leo sighed in relief, knowing that Connor wasn’t judging him. Reading his mind, Connor continued. “And no, I’m not the typical Southern person who gets into everyone’s business. No swinging on the porch here.” Raph chuckled in response to the analogy. It was stupid but fitting for the situation.

* * *

5:35 PM

* * *

Mikey walked back into the lair, with the five others sitting at the table ready to eat. “Alright, I’m home. I got you a triple cheese light sauce, Father. Raph and Connor, you guys get the meat lovers pizzas, and the rest of us have our own pizzas.” He set the pizzas on the table, splitting them up. Connor eagerly grabbed three slices of meat lovers’ pizza, slamming the first piece down. Master Splinter chuckled at the sight, Connor’s cheeks were puffed up with pizza when he continued to slam down the food. “Son, you must have been hungry.” Connor nodded, because his mouth was full. Finishing that first three-bites-in-one, he started to speak. “I was, sensei. Working on cars is a hungry business, let me tell you. I also didn’t get all that much for lunch either, so that must not be helping matters.” 

Master Splinter smiled, glad to see that the previously-lost teenager was comfortable in his home enough to open up this far in only three days. “Leonardo, what are the plans for this upcoming week?” he asked. Leo finished a bite of his margherita pizza and answered. “Friday we have April coming over, to both talk to Donatello about the mutagen that Connor was injected with, possibly to get some sort of history, and Connor is going to give her some technical driving lessons later that night. Until then though, we are open in terms of plans. Connor, are you done with the work on your car?” 

Connor nodded before Leo continued. “Don, you need to get anything done before Friday?” Don coughed before replying. “Well, I would like to make a run to the junkyard sometime soon if at all possible.” Leo nodded. “You can do that. Mikey, you have anything you need to do?” Mikey shook his head. “Raph?” Raph also shook his head. Connor piped up. “Do all of our plans have to revolve around me?” All of them at the table chuckled. Splinter replied. “I guess so, son. You are the newcomer around here, of course. It seems my sons each want to do something with you.”

Connor blushed a bit after hearing that. The rest of dinner was lighthearted, with some small jokes and general discussions coming from all of the family. Connor ate five slices of pizza, which filled his stomach to the brim. 

Master Splinter was on the couch watching more of his soap operas while Mikey used the smaller screen to polish some of his racing skills. Raph was washing the dishes, and Leo was in Don's lab talking about something. Connor walked over to the intensely focused sea green turtle, grabbing his sides and growled. Mikey screamed in response. “Connor? Why did you do that?” Connor laughed. “It's to make up for when you scared me earlier in the kitchen. You ready to go? I have a list of things I need, do you have one?” Mikey nodded. “It's on the fridge. Do you think I'll have to wear my human disguise?” Connor smiled. “You are coming in with me, so yes that sounds like a smart idea. I'll be in the garage.”

* * *

6:10 PM

* * *

Connor walked to the elevator and opened the doors, getting up to the garage. He opened the Escort and sat in the driver's seat, waiting for Mikey. Opening up his phone, there was a Morton Williams with a store review not too far away, a ten minute drive at most. Setting his GPS up, he started the Escort. The doors to the elevator opened an instant later, and Mikey walked out dressed in a hoodie and sweatpants. He walked to the passenger's side of the Escort and got in. 

“Let's go! Road trip!”, Mikey chanted. Connor laughed. “If you call seven blocks a road trip, you are going to be disappointed. Also, want me to try out my handbrake on the way there?” Mikey’s brow furrowed as he was confused. “Try out? Oooohh…. Yeah sure. Don't scare me too much, okay?” Connor chuckled. “I'm not going to be going full out. It's pouring raining. If I was going all out, that would be dumb. People don’t drive as well in the rain, stopping short and going well under the speed limit for fear of hydroplaning.” Mikey was confused. “What is… hydroplaning?” “Oh, it’s when water gets stuck under your tires. It’s like driving on ice, you have no grip.” 

Connor then popped the car into first gear, crawling out of the garage. As the door opened, he turned on his windshield wipers and made a left out of the garage. The left turn arrow for 1st Avenue just turned green, so Connor gunned it in second and whipped the wheel left, while pulling the handbrake. The back end of the car let go as Connor countersteered and added throttle, drifting the car around the turn and getting into the second lane. “Whoooooa!” Mikey exclaimed, as he held onto the door panel. “Haha, I’m not doing any more of that in this traffic, Mikey. My handbrake works, which is good.” Mikey whimpered a bit but understood. Connor was the one driving, and he controlled the car. 

Connor continued straight on 1st before turning left on 61st Street, driving perfectly normally. Mikey started the conversation after the shock of the slide wore off. “So… what do you need at the store?” Connor chuckled. “Come on, Mikey. It’s simple. I need stuff for breakfast. A lot of the ingredients you need for Southern food we don’t have at the lair, like buttermilk, or grits. So, yeah. What else do we need, Mikey?” Mikey pulled out his list. “Cereal, Monsters, coffee, eggs, basic stuff.” Connor then turned right on 3rd Avenue after two blocks, looking for a parking spot. “Ha, I found a spot!” He turned left onto 63rd and pulled against the curb, making sure it was straight. Mikey opened the door and got out as Connor shut off the Escort and pulled his now-functioning handbrake. “Wow, you did get it really straight, you’re 3 inches from the curb!” 

Connor chuckled. “I always get as close as I can manage. You ready to go in?” Mikey pulled the hood over his head and pushed a button on his Shell Cell. “Whoa, you look like you’re human!”, Connor exclaimed. “Yep, that’s the human generator at work. I look like a normal human to everyone, even if I’m not.” Connor then locked both of the doors and closed the Escort, making sure it was locked. “You make sure no one is going to steal your car, don’t you?” Mikey asked in a laugh. “Mikey, this is New York. Even if they don’t want my car, they’ll want the stuff in it.” 

Mikey then responded. “Oh, yeah. Right. Let’s go in.” The two walked around the sidewalk, going into the grocery store. It looked like a Publix inside, just with less room. “Wow, this place is small,” Connor commented. “Grocery stores back home are huge… I guess that’s what happens when you live in Manhattan, huh? Also, you’ll need to help me find all of this stuff.” He handed his list to Mikey, who looked over it quickly. “I think we’ll need a couple of baskets. Can you grab them?” Connor nodded as he grabbed two green plastic baskets. “Let’s go. I wanna get in and out of here as quick as possible.” 

Mikey saluted with his human-looking hand before the two split up and got their groceries individually. Connor went straight for the meat cooler, grabbing two packages of thick-cut bacon and a package of uncased breakfast sausage. In the next cooler was buttermilk and sour cream, needed for the biscuits and hash brown casserole. Putting those and a box of Bisquick in his basket as well, he walked two aisles over and grabbed a can of cream of chicken soup, and a package of instant grits. The instant ones were close enough to the real thing, so who cared? 

Back to the cooler again, because Connor forgot the butter! Butter is a staple in Southern cooking, it also doesn’t help cholesterol counts or obesity rates, but was it good. He grabbed a package of Kerrygold salted butter, the real deal, not some “fake vegetable oil crap”, or a substitute in his own words. Next to it was a big bag of cheddar cheese, which was also needed for the grits and the hash brown casserole. Now to the freezer section, Connor grabbed a 2-pound package of frozen hash browns, to be used for the casserole. “Hmm… anything else?” he asked himself. “Doesn’t seem like it.” He then walked to the end of the aisles, peeking in each one to find Mikey in the drink aisle. 

“Oh… shit.”, he said to himself as he grabbed a package of tea, to make a couple gallons of Southern-style tea. “How could I forget the damn tea??” he asked himself yet again. “Hey Mikey, how much sugar do we have at home?”, he asked the turtle further down the aisle. “I think like 5 pounds worth, why?” Connor then walked closer to Mikey and held up the box of Luzianne tea. “What do you think?” Mikey was confused for a second before realizing. “Oh… sweet tea. How sweet does it have to be?” Connor laughed. “Real Southern-style tea is sugar water with a hint of tea flavor in it. My mom used to add 2 cups of sugar for every half a gallon of water…” Mikey’s face shriveled. “Really?” “Yep. The method is to keep the water hot so you can put even more sugar in, oversaturating it.” “What does over-saturating mean?” “Well, it’s a chemistry term, Don could probably explain it better than I could. But water only takes so much sugar cold, and if you heat it up, more is able to be dissolved in it.” 

Mikey nodded. “I kinda get it. You done?” Connor nodded. “What about you?”, he asked Mikey. Mikey looked in his basket and needed a couple of more things. “I need the cereal and your Monsters. Can you get a bag of good coffee?” Connor smirked. “Sure. Meet me in the front of the store.” Connor went over to the coffee and bread aisle and grabbed a bag of Gevalia French Roast, in whole bean form. They had a manual grinder at home no one seemed to use, and a French press as well which is skimped over for the coffee maker. He was going to make some actual good coffee tomorrow morning. 

He put the bag of coffee in the basket and walked toward the checkout lines. Mikey was waiting for him near the front of the store, as asked. “Ready?”, he asked. Mikey nodded and they both got into a lane, putting their baskets on the conveyor. Seven minutes later, they walked out of the store with three bags in each hand. Connor fumbled for his keys and twisted it in the lock at the back of his car. The latch popped open as he shoved the hatch up with his knee. They loaded their bags in, and Connor closed the hatch and grabbed his keys. Unlocking the driver’s side door, he opened it and leaned in to pull the passenger’s side lock pin up. He closed his door and started the Escort, surprised it still was relatively warm. Turning on the heater and some smooth music, he started driving smoothly home.

9 minutes later, they turned into the driveway to the garage, having the door open, He pulled forward into his lift bay and shut the Escort off. He pulled the latch to the hatch, and Mikey got out and opened it, heaving all of the bags out and started slowly walking to the elevator, pushing the button and getting in, leaving Connor to close the hatch of his car and lock it. Connor then walked to the elevator, pushing the button and getting down to the lair a minute later. Walking to the kitchen, he grabbed two gallon milk jugs and washed them out, ready for the tea-making process. He took the coffee maker and dumped the last two cold cups out of the carafe, washing it out and dumping the filter and grounds into the trash. 

After the filter basket was washed out, he filled the water reservoir with fresh water and turned it on, intent on only getting hot water out of the coffeemaker. He put three tea bags in the bottom of the carafe, to let the tea steep and brew as the coffeemaker created hot water and showered hot water on top. He needed to do this about four times, but the end result was worth it. He took the two clean milk jugs and set them up, ready for hot tea. When the first batch of tea was ready, he poured the hot tea into the first jug, grabbing a funnel and adding two cups of sugar on top. Another batch of tea, another two cups of sugar. The first milk jug was now full, it had to cool down to room temperature. 

Second jug, same as the first, but probably a bit faster if not better in any way. Ten minutes later, the second jug was full of borderline-boiling extremely-sweet tea. He put tape over the lids, and a note saying “I will murder you like that Foot soldier if you touch this tea….. - Love, Connor” on the counter. He finished the note with a little heart before he walked away, heading towards the living room. Mikey looked up at him, immediately jumping up. “Hey Connor, do you want to teach me how to drive in a video game now?” Connor chuckled as he ran his hand through his hair. “I finished making the tea for tomorrow, so sure, why not?” 

He sat down on the couch. Mikey was next to him with a focused look. “Mikey, pick your favorite car and track.”, he said before continuing. “I need to make you feel comfortable.” Mikey nodded, as he picked out a Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution X and Road America. “Ooh, good choices. Also, I am going to do something real quick that will help you in the long term.” Connor took the controller and flicked through the menus, turning off all driver assists like traction and stability control. “Why did you do that?” Mikey asked. 

Connor looked at him. “If you let the computer do all the work for you, you’re not going to learn how to control the car. If you have the car stopping you from sliding around, it stops you from controlling it.” Mikey nodded before Connor continued. “I’m going to give you five laps to put down the best time you can.” Mikey rubbed his hands together, excited to start. He had trouble, to say the least. Getting the car to cut power in corners before meant Mikey was sliding all over the place, keeping the throttle pinned in all of the wrong points, and he took constant late apexes due to outbraking himself. On the main decreasing radius corner, he kept the throttle on, which meant he understeered into the gravel. After the five laps, Connor had a turn. “Watch what I do, especially with the pedals on the side.” Connor took the car and turned consistent lap after lap, using pedal control to keep the car on the edge of adhesion through the decreasing radius corner.

He then finished his fifth lap, and Mikey was shocked. “You didn’t go off the track once, and your laps were all within two seconds of each other!” Connor smiled. “Did you see what I did?” Mikey shook his head. “Pedal control… or trigger control. Instead of keeping the gas or brakes fully on the floor, using like 50 to 75 percent throttle in places kept the front tires from sliding out, which made them turn in harder. How about I change cars and track, and you can watch what I’m doing with the pedals. You see the little red and blue bar on the side in the speedometer? That’s what those are for.” Mikey was surprised by that finding. Connor took a Lotus Carlton and went to Road Atlanta, his home track. 

“This is a rear-wheel drive car. When you add throttle, the rear tires move the car, not the front or all four. I’ll show you what happens when you do it all wrong in a rear-drive car.” He got to the first corner and slowed to 50 miles per hour in third gear. “Watch what happens if I slam right on the gas.” He pushed the trigger all the way down, and the back end of the car slid out. “If I hold about 65 percent throttle, I can get through the corner without getting the back end all loose. Now, you try. Try not sliding the car out as much as you can.” He handed the controller to Mikey, who picked it up rather quickly. He first started sliding the car around, catching it after a second lifting off the gas. After about two laps, he managed to get the Carlton under control, keeping the tires near the limit of grip through most of the corners. Connor clapped. “That was pretty good, Mikey. You can feel when the tires start to get loose, huh?” Mikey nodded. “That was pretty fun!” Connor chuckled. “I’ve got more up my sleeve.”

He then switched the car to a Ford Focus ST. “This is a front-wheel drive car. When you add gas, the front wheels spin. It’s like my car. You try it.” Mikey took the controller and started driving it around, getting used to the acceleration. At the first corner, Connor said, “Punch it.” Mikey did so, and noticed the front end getting loose and the car not steering as much as it used to. “That’s what happens in a front-wheel drive car when you add gas. The front wheels will start to slide out, and you don’t steer. That’s called understeer. What was happening in the other car was oversteer.”, Connor commented. Mikey paused the game and asked. “But when you were sliding your car around like the Lotus, what were you doing?” Connor chuckled. “That’s way above your paygrade for now. I’m just teaching you the basics for right now.” Mikey whimpered a bit. “It’s okay, you will get there,” Connor continued. “Just drive this Focus around these next two laps, trying not to understeer.” Mikey picked his head up and continued.

He found the point where the car started understeering, and shot under that limit. His braking needed help still, but it was better than nothing for one night at least. Mikey paused the game, now getting the basics of front-wheel drive dynamics, even if he didn’t know it. “What about all-wheel drive cars, Connor? Aren’t they kinda like both?” Connor chuckled. “Well, it depends on the all-wheel drive system in the specific car. Most of the time, you treat it like a front-wheel drive car. The back end just helps you accelerate out of a corner. But in more rally-focused cars, it does tend to oversteer more.” 

Mikey nodded as he continued putting laps in. He was actually having fun trying to get faster and faster, which surprised him. Connor could almost read his mind. “You’re really liking this aren’t you?” Mikey laughed. “I guess I am. It seems like I need to try all of the cars again and see how they really react, huh.” Connor chuckled. “Yeah, I guess you do. It’s pretty fun once you get to learn how to get the car uncontrolled and keep it that way. I had to teach myself the basics first, though. Anyway, I’m getting out of here. I gotta check on the tea and do a couple of other things before tomorrow morning. Also, brake boards are your friend. You know those numbers that are before a corner counting down fifteen, ten, five? Those are distances from the start of the corner. Try using those.” Mikey nodded as Connor walked towards the kitchen. 

The tea was still cooling, the tape hadn’t moved. He then went to Raph’s bedroom. He was on the bench, pumping weights into the air. “Hey, you need a spotter?”, Connor asked. Raph grunted. “Sure, why not. I might as well talk ta somebody while workin’ out.” Connor sat down next to Raph, starting the conversation. “So, I started Mikey’s driver’s ed in Forza. Taught him how to control understeer and oversteer, he’s loving it.” Raph laughed. “Didn’t teach him about left-foot braking, didja?” Connor chuckled. “No, but with the speed he’s learning this at, he will figure it out soon enough. He got how to stop power-on oversteer in like three laps…” 

Raph pulled his weight bar up and perched it, done with working out. “Ya kiddin’?” Connor shook his head. “Go out there and watch.” Raph sat up and walked out of the room, going down the stairs. Mikey was in a Shelby GT500, carefully controlling the throttle to keep the back end from sliding around too much. Raph’s face twisted as he went back up to his room. “Ya weren’t damn kiddin’. How didja teach him?” Connor chuckled in reply, yet again. “I turned all of the aids off, and now he’s only using his finger to control how much the car slides, not the computers.” Raph sat and thought for a moment. “Ya know, that makes sense. He needs a trial by fire ta learn anythin’. Ya seem like a good teacher… ya know that?” Connor blushed a bit. “I didn’t, honestly. I just teach the way I do, even if I might tailor it a bit to whoever I am teaching. It’s all unconscious, though. I don’t think about it.” 

Raph paused for a moment. “Do ya have a plan for teaching April, or are ya just going ta wing it?” Connor thought for a second. “I kind of have a plan to teach her how to drive stick, but for the actual driving, I couldn’t tell you. Just depends on how fast she picks it up. We could start driving in fast circles to find the limit of grip, but I don’t know how far we will get... handbrake turns or reverse 180s, just depends.” Raph nodded. “I hope ya know what you’re doin’. Have ya ever taught anyone how ta drive like that before?” Connor shook his head. “First time. I know she will get something out of it, just how much is the question.” 

Raph paused. “Well, with what ya taught Mikey in an hour, I bet ya could teach April. I couldn’t get through ta Mikey over the course of two years with that damn game, but ya got him on it in an hour… Ya’re like a superhuman.” Connor looked at Raph confused. “Really? I’m just kind of average.” Raph grabbed Connor’s shoulder. “That’s complete bullshit. Ya’re not average. If ya were, the Foot wouldn’t have gone after ya, ya wouldn’t be here right now either. Most average people woulda gone about their average day, getting an average Starbucks coffee on the way to their average work after dropping their average spoiled kids off at their average school. Yer skills are everything but average!”

Connor laughed. “I hate those yuppie types. Back home around 2009 they started moving in. Huge neighborhoods, Escalades and Navigators everywhere… Seeing some 44 year old mother swerving all over the road because she dropped her phone isn’t a good sight, that’s for sure. I have a special place in my heart for people who use their phones while driving…” Connor bristled a bit after he said that. Raph chuckled. “If you think it’s bad, try riding a bike in New York traffic. All of the commuters from Jersey do all the shit you mentioned.” Connor then relaxed. “Yeah, drivers suck pretty much everywhere, don’t they. I love the people who freak out in the rain or snow. You drive your car every day, you should know its damn limits... Then there’s the people afraid to put the pedal down, so they’re going 45 miles an hour on an on-ramp. I then have to cut over in my less-than-100-horsepower car and pass them…” 

Raph laughed. “Well, I’m going to watch Mikey. He looks like he’s having fun actually keeping a car in control now.” Connor chuckled. “I have other things to do, so have at it.” As Raph walked into the living room, he noticed the tea on the counter and started laughing. “Connor, are you serious?” he asked as he was still laughing, picking up the note. “That’s fuckin’ great!” He didn’t touch the tea after the threat, of course, but it didn’t mean that the note wasn’t funny. Connor shook his head and went to Don’s lab. Don was at his soldering station soldering a few wires together. 

Connor grabbed a stool and set it by Don’s desk, not trying to scare him, because soldering irons are rather warm, to say the least. Don finished the heat shrink job while he looked up at Connor. “Anything wrong?”, he asked. Connor shook his head. “Just watching you solder. We have the same attention to detail. Is that lead-free solder?” Don nodded while Connor grimaced. “I hate that shit. It doesn’t wick worth a shit and it requires so much heat. Sucks they really don’t sell 60/40 or 63/37* anywhere anymore outside of online.” Don set the soldering iron down on its stand as he looked up. “Do you have a technique for using lead-free solder that might help?” Connor nodded. “I do. Let me show you.” He grabbed the next two wires to be soldered, stripped them and twisted them together. “Same as usual, right? Now, my trick is to get a length of the solder, like this…” Connor cut a piece of the solder off the roll. “Wrap it around the wire like this, and then apply the iron.” 

He took the soldering iron and set it on the solder-wrapped wires. The solder melted and then wicked through the wire, he did the same on the bottom. “You see how it actually wicked through and not just stuck to the surface? That’s my trick. Granted, you can’t use it for like 8 or 4 gauge wires, but it works for smaller stuff.” He then took the heat shrink and put it around the joint, and popped it on, shrinking it down. Don was amazed. “I’ve never had results like that with lead-free before… And it’s so simple! You’re a genius!” Connor shook his head. “I’m not a genius. I might be smart, but I’m not like you. Thanks for the compliment though.”

Don nodded as Connor continued. “So, what is this anyway? Looks like some sort of motion detector.” Don chuckled. “That’s because it is. Rats have a tendency to chew through the wires. You have a fix for that?” Connor laughed. “I do, matter of fact.” He got up and left for the kitchen as Don stared in amazement. Connor then walked back in with a bottle of extremely-hot hot sauce. “Coat the wires in this when you go to put it back in. It stops anything from eating them. Mechanics use hot sauce to coat wires in situations like this too. Honda even makes a special tape infused with capsaicin just because rats like to eat the soy-based insulation modern cars use.”

Don sat in shock for a second. “How could I not figure that out? Capsaicin is a poison to most things! It won't eat through the insulation because it is water based! Where did that come from?” Connor chuckled. “Probably some hick somewhere who found out putting Tabasco on the wiring made ‘them damn rat bastards’ go away. Anyway, try it and see if it works. I’ll help you out if you need it. Also, you want to go to the junkyard tomorrow, and maybe the dump? I wanna see if there’s anything I can find.” Don nodded. “Sure, we can do that. You looking for something specific?” Connor shook his head. “I don’t need anything for my car, I just need some things for my room and want to see what else is there. Well, I’m gonna go now, you need anything else?” Don shook his head. 

Connor then walked out of the lab, closing the door behind him. Don was probably going to try Connor’s soldering technique on the rest of the wires. He then walked to the kitchen, checking on the tea. It was still warm, but that’s good. Connor went to his room and grabbed his laptop. He had to print out the recipes for tomorrow morning. He had to peek back in Don’s lab to ask even if they had a printer. “Hey Don, do you have a printer I could use?” Don nodded. “It’s over on my desk, named ‘Turtle_printer’. You should be able to send to it over Wi-Fi.” “Thanks,” Connor called back as he went into the living room. 

Mikey was still in the living room playing Forza, while Raph was coaching him on hitting the apexes. Connor chuckled as he sat down with his laptop, opening it to print out the recipes for breakfast. One for the hashbrown casserole, one for the biscuits, and one for the sawmill gravy. He could cook the rest without recipes, because that bit was basic. He hit ‘print’ on the three recipes, getting up to get them off the printer. When he walked into the lab, Don had the recipes in his hand. “These look pretty damn good, Connor. You’re already making me hungry…” Connor chuckled. “That’s the point. I’m making a feast tomorrow. I can be the good Southern mother and make sure you get seconds.” Connor laughed as he grabbed the recipes off the desk, and walked back to the kitchen, setting them on the counter. He then grabbed the frozen hash browns and set them on the counter to thaw overnight. 

It was about eleven thirty by this time, and Connor was walking up to his bedroom to get some sleep. Changing his polo shirt and jeans for a sweater and sweatpants, he got into bed, setting the alarm on his phone for 7 AM. “ _Aww man, I'm so excited,_ ” he thought. “ _Tomorrow morning is going to be great._ ” He sunk into the pillow further, drifting off to sleep.

* * *

Wednesday, January 31, 2018, 7:00 AM

* * *

Connor’s phone started blaring a nuclear-threat like evacuation alarm as Connor shook awake. “What is it…”, he mumbled. “Oh. Shit. Breakfast.” He stretched and got up, shutting off the alarm. Keeping his ‘pajamas’ on, he went to the kitchen. 

The first thing to start on was the hash brown casserole, since it would take the most time. He flicked on the light and grabbed a casserole dish, the hash browns, cheese, sour cream, an onion, the cream of chicken soup, and some butter. He put the butter in a ramekin and popped it in the microwave, melting it. Taking the now- oiled casserole dish, he put the rest of the ingredients into it as he turned the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. He mixed the potato concoction together and then the oven dinged a few minutes later, signaling it was pre-heated. He popped the casserole in and set a timer for 45 minutes, which is what the recipe called for.

That was done, and it would take the most time to make. Next was the gravy, because it needed a constant eye. He took a cast iron pan and oiled it before putting it on the stove. Igniting the burner, he turned it onto medium-high and grabbed the sausage out of the fridge and opened it up. Pouring the ground meat mixture into the pan, it started to sizzle and smell really good. Leo walked out of the dojo and watched Connor. “That smells great,” he commented. “You’re really going all out, aren’t you?” Connor nodded. “I said I was making a full Southern breakfast, and that is what I’m doing.” “Well, I’m starting to get hungry. How long will this all take?” “I’ll be done at about eight, give or take a few minutes.” Leo whined, because the food smelled really good.

He continued watching the sausage cook, watching it slowly brown in the heat as he mixed it around. It was going to be done in a couple of minutes, so he got the flour ready. The next step was to remove the sausage, so he set up a paper plate lined with paper towels to hold the sausage while he made the gravy base. Using his spatula to remove the meat, he then turned the burner to low heat while he slowly added flour to the drippings in the pan, and kneaded it around for 3 minutes, adding more and more flour as he went. It was about to be ready for some milk, so he poured a glass full of the white liquid. “Medium high…. Stir until thick…”, Connor mumbled to himself. He then added some coffee to the grinder as he ground the coffee for the French press. This cooking was taking a lot of time, but it was worth it,

“Hey Leo, can you get Mikey up? I’m going to need his help soon.” Leo nodded as he went up the stairs, knocking on Mikey’s door. “Hey, Connor needs your help. Come on!” Connor then turned the burner to medium-high heat again and started adding milk, starting on the cream base. Whisking the milk and flour mixture in the pan, Mikey stumbled down the stairs, fully awakening once he smelled the food that was cooking. “Whoa, that smells good!” Connor smiled. “Doesn’t it? I need your help, by the way.” Scraping at the bottom of the pan, Connor twirled his left hand in the air. “I need you to grab another cast iron pan and oil it.” Mikey rushed over to the cabinets and did so in about two minutes. “Anything else?” “Yeah, I need the table set up with silverware. I”ll get the plates and glasses together once I’m done cooking.” Mikey nodded, grabbing forks, knives, and spoons for each seat. Connor continued to slowly add milk to the gravy, watching it slowly cook. The casserole had another ten minutes, so time was now to make the biscuits. “Hey Mikey, can you grab a pot and fill it with water and put it on boil?” Mikey nodded as Connor headed for the cabinets.

Connor grabbed the Bisquick, buttermilk, and butter to make the biscuit batter. Also needed was a teaspoon of sugar, but that wasn’t the priority. Grabbing a bowl, he added the boxed flour mixture to it first, before slowly pouring in the buttermilk. Connor made a scrunched up face as he did so, buttermilk isn’t the nicest smelling stuff in the world but it was good for baking. Mixing the dough with his hands, he added the remainder of the melted butter from earlier into the dough before kneading it. The recipe said to knead it twenty times, but Connor decided to go for broke. The mixture was nice and smooth, so it didn’t take much to get it fully incorporated. Adding a bit of flour both to the countertop and the dough, he continued to knead it. Grabbing a rolling pin, he rolled it to a thickness of half an inch and cut it out into a series of three-inch round discs. 

There was enough batter for ten biscuits, which was enough. 1 each for the six, plus four extra. Connor smirked as he knew he’d take advantage of at least one of the extra biscuits. Looking at the pan on the stove, there would be enough gravy for all of them to share, that’s for sure. He finished cutting out the dough and set them on a baking sheet, ready to go in after the casserole was finished. Adding the sausage back into the gravy, he continued to stir it as Master Splinter walked in. “So, what are you cooking right now, my son?” “Oh, it’s a sawmill gravy, sensei. It’s basically a cream based gravy with sausage in it, a perfect match for the biscuits that are about to go in the oven in… 3...2...1..” The timer beeped, telling Connor the casserole was done. He grabbed two oven mitts and pulled it carefully out of the oven, setting the glass dish on a wire rack. 

Master Splinter smiled. “What is that, my son?” “It’s a hash brown casserole. Basically potatoes, cream and cheese all baked together into one amazing product.” Splinter smelled the air, it smelled like home cooking, at least what smelled like Southern home cooking, not Japanese. “It smells great in this kitchen,” he commented. Connor smiled. “Leo and Mikey made a comment about that. I hope Raph and Don get up soon, or they will be missing out.” As he said that, he opened the oven and put the biscuits in, timing it for 12 minutes. 

Next was the bacon. Connor grabbed the remaining cast iron pan and heated it up to medium-high. Adding the bacon in two minutes later, it started to sizzle. Raph’s door opened as the smell of bacon started to permeate in the lair. “Holy shit, does that smell GOOD!” He yelled before pounding on Don’s door. “Donny, get up. Breakfast is almost done!” Don’s door opened slowly, his nose now punched in the face by the smell of cooking meat. “Yes, yes it does.” The two walked down the stairs as Connor flipped the bacon in the pan. Connor called out “Morning guys, hungry?” Both of them licked their lips in anticipation. “I guess that’s a yes.”, Connor chuckled. Connor watched the bacon sizzle as he removed it from the pan, adding more to it. “Bacon’s almost done, I’m gonna plate up all the food and take it out there. You can sit at the table if you want to,” Connor commented. Flipping the bacon, he watched it sizzle as the timer for the biscuits beeped. The grits were cooking in a pot on the side, so they were almost done, just adding a heaping amount of salt, butter and cheese to them after he drained off the water.

Using the same oven mitts, he took the biscuits out of the oven and setting it on another cooling rack. Taking the rest of the bacon out and putting it on a paper plate, he started cracking eggs and frying them in the bacon grease. Two each for Splinter, Leo, and Mikey, while Raph, Don, and Connor probably wanted three. Fifteen eggs is a lot, but it is worth it. Cracking two into the pan, he grabbed a plate and set it up. Flipping the eggs, he added some cajun seasoning to the top of them. When they were done, he put them on a plate with three pieces of bacon, a helping of both hashbrown casserole and now-cheesy-and-buttery grits, and a biscuit split open covered in gravy. 

He did the same thing five more times, just changing the number of eggs. He set the plates down in front of the hungry turtles, as Connor said in his redneck accent “Y’all better not start eatin’, I ain't even done yet!” Mikey whimpered, as a low moan came out of the rest of the turtles. Connor grabbed six glasses, loaded them up with ice and poured the sweet tea he made into them. There was hot water in the kettle, so he poured some along with some pre-ground Gevalia coffee in the French press.

Four minutes later, it was done brewing, so he poured it between three mugs, one for Raph, Don, and himself. Carrying the glasses of tea to the table, he grabbed the remainder of the gallon and took it out. A bowl of leftover gravy and the other biscuits went to the middle of the table. Juggling three mugs of coffee, he took the black one and handed it to Don, while the creamed and sugared ones went to Raph and himself. 

He then grabbed his plate and sat down at the table. “Okay, I'm done now, you can all eat now. Don, since you were last up, you clean the dishes. I helped you out by getting the crap out of the pans.” Don nodded. “Sounds fair enough.” He then took a sip of his coffee and commented “This coffee is great..” Connor smiled in response. “Come on guys, eat…”, he prodded. 

The dining room table fell silent all of a sudden, as the sounds of forks and knives rang against plates. Master Splinter was the first to comment after taking a bite of the casserole. “This potato casserole is delicious!’ Connor chuckled as he had a bite of one of his eggs. “Thank you, sensei.” Mikey then piped up, asking “What is this stuff that looks like oatmeal?” Connor laughed. “Those are grits. It's cornmeal just turned into a porridge type of thing. I doctored them up with cheese and butter, they're not the best plain.”

Mikey tried the grits and really didn't like them, which was fine. “Don't worry, I'm not even the biggest fan of grits Mikey,” Connor said with a smile. Raph took a sip of his tea, and then started chugging it down. “Whatever you put in this tea is addicting. What's in it?” Connor chuckled in reply. “Just Luzianne tea and a lot of sugar. I made two gallons of the stuff in foresight.” After Raph’s comment, Leo decided to try the tea. He normally had unsweetened green tea, but he was pretty much forced to try it after Raph liked it. 

Leo took a sip of the tea and grimaced as the taste of all the sugar hit him first, but then it calmed as the bitterness of the tea showed through. “I can tell how someone can drink four glasses of this tea in one sitting,” Leo commented. Don piped up now. “Is this the famous biscuits and gravy, Connor? I really like it, the sausage gravy goes well with the biscuits. Also, your eggs are perfectly cooked, by the way.” Connor smirked. “Yeah, I can do more with eggs than just scramble them… Right Mikey?” Mikey nodded as he had dropped an entire fried egg in his mouth.

Master Splinter just looked at the table in joy. The food they were eating was delicious, and all of his sons were enjoying it. The teenager at the end of the table was also feeling more comfortable, partly due to the food, but also just living with them over the course of these past few days. What more could a father ask for? Well, a mansion and six cars, but what he had was close enough. His family in that moment was like one of those old MasterCard ads; it was priceless.

After about twenty minutes of eating interrupted with small talk here and there, everyone was finished with breakfast and definitely filled. Master Splinter only usually ate a small breakfast of some sort of fish and rice, but even he grabbed some more bacon and another biscuit. Connor laughed. “I’m guessing you guys are going to need some time to relax and get out of the food coma, huh?” Everyone answered, with reactions from a smirk to a “ugh tell me about it”. Connor walked into the kitchen after that, chuckling. He walked behind Don, putting his chin on the turtle’s shoulder. “Need any help?”, he asked in a gentle tone. Don smirked with not-very-well hidden lust in his eyes. Connor caught that look, but instead innocently helped Don with the dishes, not letting him know the feeling was mutual. “The way to a man’s heart isn’t just his stomach, but it’s close enough…” Connor thought. 

After the dishes were done, Connor grabbed his laptop and started watching some YouTube videos, ranging from stupid meme compilations to technical videos about cars over the course of an hour. Mikey finally broke Connor’s concentration with a sudden “Connor, you wanna race together in Forza?” Connor chuckled. “Sure, Mikey.” He clicked the “sleep” button on his laptop, and he closed it. “You pick the car and track, I’ll see if you can keep up with me a bit better, huh?” Mikey nodded. “I got a lot of practice last night. Raph was shocked at how well I was doing…” Connor laughed. “He told me I was a good teacher, which seems like it’s pretty true.” Mikey chose a car different than his favorite Evo, instead going for a Camaro Z/28 and Road America. Connor grabbed a Shelby GT500, laughing. “Why not go Chevy versus Ford for this one, huh?” 

While Connor said that, however, Mikey already took out, only very slightly spinning off the line. Connor then dumped the clutch and hammered the Shelby to catch him, but that didn’t work. Mikey was already halfway down the straight when Connor shifted into fourth gear. Mikey, however, didn’t quite know how to brake perfectly. He went on the brakes early as Connor kept accelerating, using the brakes at the last moment to pitch the front end of the Mustang into the right handed corner. Mikey went inside, but Connor went outside, intent on diving in under braking in the second corner. However, that plan was foiled as Mikey saw Connor’s plan and dived into the apex, getting the car sideways and holding the slide, giving Connor no room to get past. 

Mikey wasn’t the drift master though, so he overcorrected it, going into the grass. Connor slipped inside under a quick jab of brakes, slamming on the throttle in third gear, easily getting past Mikey’s Camaro. Pulling on the second straight, Connor got up to 165 miles per hour before getting on the brakes, cutting into the tight left hander. Mikey was slowly catching back up, he got the braking down perfectly, gaining a couple of seconds. Connor then decided to make it a smokeshow. He weight shifted into the next left hander, lighting up the rear tires. He slowed down just enough to where Mikey finally caught him, but he ripped the handbrake and pulled the Mustang sideways at the next right hander. Mikey couldn’t do anything, so he had to stick behind until Connor straightened out.

Sadly for Mikey however, Connor held out the drift and transitioned it in a manji form, sliding the car side to side on the short straight. Mikey was shocked and paused the game. “How do you do that?” Connor chuckled. “You start a drift, and then you transition it with lifting off the gas and shifting the weight to the other side. I’ll let you pass me, I’m getting bored. Let’s see how far you can go before you keep up, huh?” Connor un-paused the game and pulled to the side, letting Mikey get a head start. Sadly for him, however, the long decreasing radius corner was coming up. Connor gunned it and held as much speed as he could in the left hander, gunning it for the sweeping right handed corner. Mikey was halfway through, and Connor ducked into the apex, taking a late line to slingshot himself out of the corner. 

It worked, as Mikey was slowly sliding towards the outside of the corner trying to hold his entry speed, not realizing the trick for this corner was exit speed. ‘Slow in, fast out’ is the motto for basic corner technique in racing circles, and Connor was intent on using it. He was catching up to the red Camaro bit by bit, shifting into fourth gear. On the straight, he was right on Mikey’s bumper, coasting it through the mild right hander. At the right corner, they both braked, but Connor outbraked Mikey slightly, causing him to bump into the Camaro’s rear quarter panel, making Mikey start to spin… but with a quick reaction, Mikey countersteered against it and kept on the gas, continuing the bump into a smoky drift. Connor stopped his car right there and set the controller down.

“That was a good save, Mikey… Damn…. You’ve really learned a lot, haven’t you… I’m proud. You can keep playing, I’ve got a couple of things to do. Mikey paraded around, glad that even Connor was surprised at his skills. Connor went to Master Splinter’s shoji and knocked before he opened the door. Master Splinter greeted him with a smile. “Hello Connor, anything you need to talk about?” Connor chuckled. “Not really, I’m more worried about you. You normally have a light breakfast, and you ate all that food about an hour ago, you doing okay?” Splinter gently laughed. “I am starting to regret eating all that food to be honest. It was delicious though.” Connor smiled. “Okay, just making sure you weren’t asleep in a food coma or anything. It’s like Thanksgiving but in January…” He then walked out of the shoji and slid the door closed. He laughed under his breath as he walked up the stairs, looking for Leo. 

The door was open, yet again. Connor popped his head in and Leo looked up. “What’s up?”, Leo asked. “Well, Splinter’s in a food coma after all that food, what about you?” Leo laughed. “Yeah, he normally has a few onigiri and some tea for breakfast; I’m afraid your whole spread of food spoiled him a bit too much. As for me, well, I’m still full. That hash brown casserole is addictive. Can you make some more of that sometime?” Connor chuckled. “Sure, maybe with another breakfast, but not as much food in general. I tend to cook entirely too much when I do.” Leo chuckled. “I can figure as much. You going and getting everyone’s reaction?” Connor shook his head. “I was just worried about Splinter mostly, because he hardly eats in the morning. He’s fine albeit probably passed out right now.” 

Leo laughed. “I’ll check in on him in a little while. You have anything else to talk about?” Connor was about to open his mouth and ask about the thoughts he’s been having about Don, but instead just shook his head. “Nope, I’m good. You have fun reading… not-The-Art-of-War now!” Connor walked out of the room and walked into Don’s lab. “Hey Don, do you need help with anything?” “Yeah,” Don said before continuing. “I have something else to do, you think you can clone a hard drive for me?” “Sure, lemme grab my little utility real quick.” He then walked to his room and grabbed a flash drive with a little hard disk on it. Walking back into the lab, he closed the door behind him. “So, what computer am I using?” Don pointed over to his main computer. “I’ve got a Seagate drive I need cloned to a Western Digital.” Connor chuckled. “Is that because the Seagate is dying? Seagate drives love doing that.” Don nodded. “Yeah, I’ve learned my lesson. 2 years in and it starts slowing down… what a nightmare. You can do it right?” “Oh yeah, it’s a five minute job to get it started, but however long it takes to move all of the data. Where’s the WD drive?” Don got up and grabbed a black and silver box. “Here you go, it should work with the SATA bus in my computer.” Connor nodded and took the drive, setting it down before opening the side panel of Don’s computer.

It was powerful to say the least. It had a Gigabyte-branded Intel X99 motherboard in it with an EVGA-branded Nvidia GeForce GTX 780 graphics card. “I wish I had a computer like this back home, Don…” Connor said with a chuckle. Don smiled. “I’ve built that thing up over the years. Mostly lucky finds mixed with really good deals, really. What kind of computer did you have?” “Well, I built mine in 2013 or so… it has an AMD FX-6300 and an R7 260X in it. $600 in 2013, now worth about $350 or so.” Don nodded. “It couldn’t have been that bad though, right?” Connor chuckled. “It was alright, but I still could have used a little more power. What kind of processor you got in this rig, Don?” “Oh, it’s a 5820K. 6 core hyperthreaded.” Connor laughed. “Damn, alright Don, I see you.” He slid the new hard drive into the case, closing it. Plugging in the flash drive, he opened Macrium Reflect. 

“Seagate 3 terabyte to WD 4 terabyte…” he mumbled. “Clone… clone everything… go.” He clicked the start button, and the process started. “Okay, it’s going Don. Says it should take an hour and a half.” Connor got up out of the computer chair and walked over to Don’s workbench, stifling the urge to grab him and pepper him with a litany of kisses. He grabbed the stool and sat down next to Don. “Still working on those motion detectors?” Don nodded. “Also, I used your soldering technique last night. It works great, thanks for turning me onto it.” Connor chuckled. “Anything to help, Don. Also, did you try the hot sauce trick yet?” Don nodded. “The rats have definitely stayed away after tasting that fire in a bottle.” Connor laughed. “I told you it would work… Also, are we still good for going to the junkyard tonight?” 

Don thought for a second, and then replied “Yeah, we are. I was just thinking about what I needed to get for a moment there.” In actuality, he was thinking about Connor and how he would want to be with him. Tonight at the junkyard would be a great time to do something, and both were planning to do something with the other later that night, in coincidence of course. It was like a secret agreement between the two, unknown to either teenager. 

Connor nodded as he walked out of the lab, with the thoughts of Don just getting all aggressive and dominating him clouding his mind. Slowly closing the lab’s door, he then walked into his room and locked the door behind him, with his now rock-hard cock begging to be released from the confines of his pants. “ _Ugh,_ ” Connor thought. “ _Even the thought of me getting with him is making me hard…_ ” He then slid down his pants, his cock bobbing in full view. Grabbing a tissue, he was ready to get this over with. Starting to stroke his cock slowly, he started to moan. Biting his shirt, he continued the movements. 

He then started to imagine the purple banded turtle over him, kissing him violently before bending down and biting his collarbone. Connor’s body started to shake a little bit on the bed in that thought. Don then started sliding into him in his mind, his ass taking all of the turtle’s cock in one thrust. Connor bit into his shirt harder at this thought. Two seconds later he groaned “Mmmph…” as pleasure rocketed through his nerves and veins, making his body tense up. The tissue was right over his cock as cum was sprayed out of it, then dribbling down the side. 

Connor opened his eyes, and the regret finally kicked in. He had just jerked off to the thought of Don taking him roughly, and he liked it. Never would he have thought that he would want to fuck a mutant turtle, but alas, that is what had just happened. Taking the tissue and folding it, he wiped the rest of himself off before throwing the tissue in the trash. Throwing a sweater on to hide the bite marks on his shirt, he put his underwear and sweatpants back on before unlocking his door and opening it. He waved his hands in the air while walking out to disperse the chlorine-like smell of his semen around and out of the room. 

Closing the door behind him, he walked to the living room, now in total shame about what he just did. Going past Don’s lab, he had to look at the turtle sitting at the workbench. Connor almost squealed, holding it in as he continued walking down the stairs. Getting back to the couch, Raph was on the couch next to Mikey, the two of them racing around in Need For Speed. They both were pretty close, and the competition was rather intense, to say the least. 

Connor chuckled and sat down at his laptop, intending to look up the upgrades for the Battle Shell. He plugged in his Tails drive and booted from it, hiding all activity from Don’s network. On Summit Racing’s website, Connor put a Comp Cams K01-411-8 camshaft kit and a set of 900-16 hydraulic roller lifters into the cart, and a Holley Terminator EFI kit with the transmission controller, to give the truck more tunability and also different shift patterns depending on the situation. Also adding an oil cooler with a thermostatic base, an auxiliary transmission cooler, a set of long tube headers, a single-plane intake manifold and some other goodies to the cart, he went to checkout. 

He popped in the special coupon code his friends at Summit gave him, and it came out to $2,456.78 in total. “Hey Raph, can you come over and look at this?” Raph nodded and looked at the laptop. “Shhh….” Connor said. “I’m about to order, I just wanted to show you what I was getting…” Raph nodded as he looked at the screen. “Gotcha. How long until it gets here?” “Four to seven days. I’ll see if UPS can hold it for me to pick up.” “Okay, I’ll be ready to help when it all gets here.”

Connor then popped his card number into the website and clicked ‘Order’, cringing at how much he just spent on a surprise for Don. However, it would be worth it eventually. Shutting the laptop off and removing the drive, he restarted into Windows and opened Chrome. Looking up the UPS location he needed to pick it up from, it was about two blocks from the grocery store he went to last night, so it wasn’t too far of a drive. Satisfied, he closed the laptop and walked it back to his room. He sat the laptop on his bed and looked around the room, glad that nothing has moved or changed.

Connor had a strange feeling, one that told him things were going to go rather weirdly, but that was okay. At least it wasn’t all unexpected to his brain now. This next week was going to be full of surprises, some good and maybe some bad, but you don’t know the way it’ll go until you cross those bridges.

* * *

*60/40 or 63/37 is the ratio of tin to lead in solder. Usually, 60/40 flows better than 63/37, but those two are so close in actuality it doesn’t matter. Just don’t breathe in the fumes if you solder with leaded stuff. Lead-free is obviously less poisonous, but it also doesn’t work worth a shit in my opinion.

* * *


	6. Surprises

* * *

RECOMMENDED LISTENING: 

Lessons In Love - Kaskade, Neon Trees 

Basically the mood at this start of the chapter. Both of the confused teenagers are pretty much thinking the lyrics in this song, but won’t admit it. 

More Than a Feeling - Boston

One of Don’s favorite classic rock songs, from a band other than Pink Floyd of course.

* * *

* * *

Wednesday, January 31, 2018, 9:30 PM

* * *

Connor was sitting on the couch, thinking about Don. “ _What am I going to do with him…_ ”, he thought. “ _Go slow or just lay it on him?_ ” He pondered it for a second, but then Don piped up. “You about ready to go?” Connor nodded. “Just gotta change my clothes. I don’t think Converses are perfect junkyard wear.” Don chuckled a bit. “I’m glad we don’t need to wear shoes… they seem like a hassle.” Connor smiled. “They can be at times, especially when they get untied.” Connor then got up and walked into his room, swapping his sweatpants for a pair of jeans and his Converses for his steel-toe boots. 

Walking out his room, he grabbed his wallet and keys. Don wrapped his trench coat around himself and grabbed his tech bag. Connor saw that and shook his head. “I’ve got plenty of tools in the back of my car. Don’t need to bring all that shit.” Don chuckled. “I guess I could take my set of ratchets and 12 volt stuff out then, huh?” Don then did so, setting the unused tools in his lab’s workbench. “Ready to go?” Connor nodded as he pushed the elevator button, and then he and Don stepped in. “I wonder how he’s gonna react to the tire marks….” he thought with a chuckle. The door opened and Don’s jaw dropped. “Is this what you were chuckling about just now?” Connor started laughing. “Yup, isn’t it great!” 

Don was still shocked. “How did you whip the thing around in this garage?” Connor chuckled. “Raph could tell you, I ripped it three inches from the wall. It felt so close in the car.” “How did you even manage it in this tight space?” “Dumped the clutch, got up to about twenty miles an hour, then weight shifted it and ripped the handbrake.” Don stopped and thought, imagining what happened. “Given your driving skills, that makes sense. Alright, are we going to go?” Connor nodded while pulling his keys out of his pocket, tossing them to Don. “You’re driving. Need you to learn how to drive this thing like I do.” Don chuckled as he got into the driver’s seat as Connor opened the hatch and loaded Don’s bag in the back. Connor got into the passenger’s seat and gave Don the rundown. “Clutch is light, bite point is in the middle-top of the pedal. Don’t be scared to rev this thing to redline, rev limiter cuts at 6 grand.” Don then saluted as he started the econobox, carefully backing out of the lift bay and pulling out of the garage. 

Traffic wasn’t terrible at this time of night, which was good. Connor piped up with a question though. “You think we can stop by a convenience store on the way?” Don laughed. “Sure, you forget to grab a Monster on the way out?” Connor blushed a bit. “Course I did. You know me by now, right? I also need a couple of other small things before we start this misadventure.” Don laughed as he pulled over to let Connor out into a bodega. Connor got out and walked in, grabbing two Monsters, a 6-pack box of condoms, and some lube. He had a feeling he would need those especially soon.

Walking to the cashier, he counted up the total in his head. “ _It’ll be around 11 bucks for all of this..._ ” he thought. After ringing up all of the items, it came out to $10.78. Connor laughed a bit as he pulled his debit card out of his wallet, handing it to the man behind the counter. Two minutes later, he walked out of the store with a small bag and two cans. He hopped back into the Escort, putting the two cans in the cupholders and throwing the bag into the backseat. “I got you a Monster too, I thought you could use it. Junkyard work is so tiring and all that.”, Connor said as he nudged Don in the shoulder a bit. Don chuckled and said “I’ll probably drink it later. I don’t even remember the last time I’ve even had an energy drink. My poison of choice is black coffee. By the way, the stuff you made this morning was great… what was it?” 

Connor smiled in reply, glad Don liked it. “It is a Gevalia French Roast, I ground it manually and put it in the French press that was sitting in the back of the cabinet. Water, coffee, let brew for 4 minutes, push, and pour. It’s a little more work than flicking a switch, but you can taste the difference.” Don nodded as he continued through a green light. “I liked it. Tasted nice and strong without being bitter. Also, sidenote, I like your car. It’s great in this traffic.” Connor laughed. “Try saying that when you are in Georgia in a 95 degree day, stuck in a terrible jam with no air conditioning. It’s not so great.” “I can’t imagine it would be. Why doesn’t the AC work?” “Well, this is pre-1994, so it uses Freon instead of 134 in it. Also, the changeover process is a nightmare and I don’t want to fuck with it really yet until I pull the motor out.”

Don sighed. “I don’t like screwing with AC stuff either. It pretty much makes no sense to me, and when I do, I am scared I’m going to screw it all up.” Connor laughed. “I guess we are in the same boat. I just don’t want to rip apart my AC system really unless I have to. It’s still sealed and all, I just don’t know why it doesn’t work. Compressor kicks on and all, just don’t want to fuck with it.” At that moment however, Don pulled into a side street, backing the Escort through an opening in a fence. “We’re here. Where’s your trunk release?” Connor chuckled. “Down on the floor like most Japanese cars from the ‘90s.” Don pulled it as he shut off the car, pulling the handbrake and getting out. Connor also got out, and Don tossed the keys to him. 

Connor smiled as he opened the hatch, pulling Don’s bag out and handing it to him. Connor grabbed his set of tools and his portable jump starter, which functioned as 12-volt power leads. They walked around the junkyard, going from car to car, just seeing what was there. There was a relatively nice Mercedes-Benz S-Class there, with what looked like a seized motor. The interior was pristine too, with no obvious smells of smoke or tears in the upholstery. “Hey Don, I’m gonna nab a couple of these seats, they could be cool furniture.” Don nodded. “They’re nice and soft too… Maybe we could get the power adjustments to work? It should be simple, just 12 volt in. Also, surprisingly, there’s been no pot smoked in this thing...” 

Connor laughed as he started to unbolt the seats. They were some big Torx bolts, so it took a special bit to remove them. As Connor tried to heave the passenger’s seat out, however, it was heavy. “Damn Don, this fucking thing’s gotta weigh at least sixty pounds. Jesus!” He crouched down and lifted the weight with his legs, unplugging the airbag connector before walking back to his car. Setting the heavy seat down, he opened the hatch and folded his rear seats down.

One seat down, one more to go. He did the same with the driver’s seat, laying it in his car sideways against the driver’s seat. His cargo area was almost full of just seats, but there was still more room in the car. Rejoining with Don, they walked around some more, just admiring the cars that were there, from clapped-out Chevy Cavaliers to rather nicer stuff like that Mercedes they found. Don was wrenching inside the engine bay of a VW, getting some sort of special electrical part. “Hey Don, what’s that over there?” Don looked up and saw two wooden boxes in a trash pile, what looked like speakers. “You think they’re speakers?” Connor nodded. “They look nice too, some kind of early 90’s mid-high end stuff. I’ll go take a look, be right back.” 

Connor got out of the Ford Windstar he was sitting in to look at the speakers. Looking at the label on both, they were branded Venturi. Connor kept looking at them. “Made in America by BIC America??? Holy shit! I need to get these!” He exclaimed while taking out his phone and found a model number. “Ha, found it. V820. Okay.” He popped out his phone and typed in “bic america venturi v820”, and what came up was a review from when these were new. He was an audio geek, so he knew what all the numbers meant. He grabbed one and started running towards the Escort, setting it on the folded-down back seat. He quickly sprinted to get the next one, as Don was following him with his head. “Why is he running?”, he asked himself. Connor didn’t answer as he grabbed the second speaker and put it in the back of the Escort as well. 

He then got back to Don quickly, panting. “Jesus, those were speakers alright. Damn good ones.” Don laughed. “What about them?” “Well, they were $450 in 1994… so I guess that’s a sign. Apparently the frequency response on them is plus or minus 4dB from 32 to 20,000 hertz, which is like perfect. They only found a dip in the response at 500Hz…” Don shook his head, not able to grasp what Connor even just said. “Connor, I don’t want to sound like Raph, but in English please. What do all of those numbers mean?” Connor laughed. “Sorry, I’m a bit of an audio nerd. Basically, it means the response, or the perceived volume of the speakers from the lowest bass note to the highest high note is at a roughly similar level, so they sound fantastic.” 

Don laughed, now able to understand. “Don’t you still need some sort of amp?” Connor’s eyes lit up. “We are in a scrap yard, right? Let me see if I can find something.” He started looking through the cars, but he then realized they all were 12-volt amplifiers, not 120-volt. Defeated, he started looking through the bins of trashed electronics. After about half an hour of searching, nothing came up. He slowly walked back to Don, who was in another European car. “I found nothing. I can’t use a car amplifier without a beefy 12-volt supply, and it’s inefficient anyway.” Don thought for a second after Connor said that. 

“Hmm… I have a spare server power supply at home that spits out like 40 amps at 12 volts, you think that could work?” Connor thought about it and said, “You know what, it may work. I was just about to order a home-type amplifier too. Thanks, Don. Also, you almost done? I noticed you haven’t really gotten anything from any of these cars…” Don shook his head. “Yeah, I’m pretty much done. You still have to find an amp, by the way.” “Oh, yeah. That’s right.” Connor then dashed off through a row of cars, finding one with a decent 4-channel amp and taking it. “Done.” He and Don walked back to the car, the both of them tired after all the lifting and running, especially Connor. 

Loading their tools into the back of the Escort, Don’s face twisted, his plans for wooing Connor that night falling through. He got into the passenger’s seat with a scorn on his face, which Connor picked up on as he shut the hatch. Getting into the driver’s seat, Connor took a sip of his energy drink before deciding, “ _Fuck it, I’m just gonna start this shit right here and now._ ” He turned the ignition on to get the blower motor running, and Don just stared straight out the window, not even realizing Connor was crawling over the center console, He then straddled Don’s lap, and Don’s head twisted over to look into Connor’s eyes. They shifted from their usual blue-hazel color and turned into a deep grey. 

Connor took Don’s head and pushed it against his, their lips locking together. Don’s eyes widened in surprise, but then relaxed as he started to get deeper into the kiss. Connor pushed off for a second to catch his breath but then continued the crazed making out for fifteen more seconds. He then set his forehead against Don’s and stopped. “You realize I caught the look you gave me this morning, right? I know you have been thinking about me, Don… and I have been thinking about you too, even if it sounds cliche.” Don pushed Connor off him slightly, giving him some room to think. “You were? I thought I was crazy for loving you, I thought I was the odd one.” Connor chuckled darkly and replied in a gruff tone. “You think I couldn’t catch you? You’re great at hiding things, but lustful looks aren’t one of them. Also, remember when I ran into my room after I left your lab? I had to jerk off because I couldn’t think of anything else but you, you holding me down and just taking me… I swear I haven’t came harder in my life, Don, thanks to you. You sexy smart turtle you.” Don turned a shade of reddish-green after hearing that.

“Y-you did? Jesus, that’s…. fucking hot.” Connor grinned. “It was fuckin’ hot for me too. You held me down and kissed me, and it went from there. Too bad it’s pretty much the opposite right now, though.” After finishing that, Connor leaned in for another smoldering kiss. Don wrapped his arms around Connor, pulling him closer to his body. Don was surprised by the human’s warmth, especially in such a cold place like this car… but his thoughts were mostly overrun from the sheer amount of romance going on. Connor started to intertwine his tongue with Don’s, the two getting used to the taste of each other in such a special sort of way. Connor then pulled away. “Come on, we need to get out of here… We can continue this later, right?” Don nodded hard enough to make the whole car move slightly. “Yes, I definitely want to… God, I had absolutely no balls to even make a move towards you… what did you think?”, asked Don.

Connor chuckled. “I just said ‘fuck it let’s go’ in my mind. There was no other better opportunity for me to kiss you like that, and let me tell you, I don’t regret that decision now. Also, I’m rock hard now, thank you for making my drive that much more uncomfortable.” Don laughed. “I forget humans don’t have penises like ours. Ours retract out of our body…. Although if you’re hard inside like I am, it’s kind of tight...“ Connor laughed. “I guess we’re both going to be rather uncomfortable on the way home. That’s a good sign though, huh?” Both laughed as Connor started the car and pulled forward out of the junkyard. He was sure to drive smoother than usual, since he didn’t want to scare Don any more than he needed to. 

Slotting the car into second gear and releasing the clutch slowly, he then started to talk. “Don… I love you, you know that, right?” Don chuckled. “If those kisses we just shared weren’t an indication, I don’t know what is.” Don then leaned over, resting his head on Connor’s shoulder. “I feel weird for saying this, but I love you too. I couldn’t help but think about you after you left the lab… to jerk off.” Connor laughed. “A man’s gotta do what a man’s gotta do. Anyway, I have a song that pretty much sums us up.” Connor then pressed play on his ‘hopeless romantic’ playlist, and “Lessons in Love” came on through Bluetooth. Connor’s head started bobbing to the beat, before realizing what the lyrics were.

He then froze, tears welling up in his eyes. He pulled his right arm up and blotted the tears away, as Don just looked at him. “You okay?” Connor shook his head. “This pretty much summed up these past few days for me. I was confused, scared, and I didn’t know what to do with you… now you’re in my car, leaning on my shoulder. What kind of miracle did that?” Don laughed as he sat up, grasping Connor’s right hand. “I’m not letting go of this hand until we get home.” Connor chuckled. “But I have to shift…” “I’m still going to hold your hand, so if you want to shift, you’re going to have to do it with me.” Connor laughed. “Okay, whatever you say babe.” Don’s head twisted around as he said that. 

“Did you really just call me babe?” Connor nodded. “I think it fits you. You’re my babe now, if you like it or not.” Don laughed. “Well I guess that makes you my babe then, huh babe?” Connor chuckled. “You’re getting the hang of this whole love thing pretty quickly.” Connor shuffled his hand a bit, but Don just squeezed slightly harder. “I love you, Connor…. That’s just weird to say. Isn’t it weird for you?” Connor smiled. “Of course it is. I’m not an expert in relationships either, Don. All I do know is that I would love to hop into your lap right now and continue what we had going, but I am still driving, so that’s in the way.” Don leaned back over on Connor’s shoulder. “Is that close enough?” Connor teared up again slightly. “T-thanks Don. Love ya, you know? I never thought I’d say that either. I’m in love with a mutant turtle that happens to be a genius and understand almost everything I say… it’s definitely weird.” Don chuckled. “And I never thought I’d be in love with a teenager that out-drove a Foot patrol and brutally murdered one of them in cold blood. That was metal, by the way. I could only imagine that in real life.” Connor laughed. “You might want to sit up, we’re about to pull into the garage.” 

Don then got off of Connor’s shoulder, but continued to hold his hand as he turned into the garage and pulled into the lift bay. “Okay Don, I need my hand back. I gotta turn off the car and we need to get all of this stuff out of the back.” Don sighed as he let go of Connor’s right hand, already missing the feeling of his new lover touching him. Connor said, “It’s okay Don. I miss touching you already too, but we really can’t when we are in the lair. So, let’s get these speakers out first and take them to my room, and I’ll figure out how to get that power supply to work. We can keep the seats in here until tomorrow, because they’re fine sitting in my car.” Don nodded as he got out of the car. Connor then released the hatch as Don lifted it up. Connor grabbed one speaker as Don grabbed the other, and they both walked to the elevator. Connor pushed the button with his knee, and the door opened. 

The two teenagers then set the speakers on the floor of the elevator as they got in, and Don leapt into Connor’s arms. With the elevator taking a minute to get down to the lair, that was enough time to start making out. Connor then smashed his lips against Don’s, with the two running their hands down each other. Connor’s fingers glided down Don’s plastron and Don’s hands ran down Connor’s back as they continued to kiss. While that happened though, the elevator started to slow down, and the two teenagers separated with a sigh from the purple-banded turtle and a whimper from the human. The doors opened, and the two grabbed the speakers and walked into Connor’s room. “Drop it on the bed,” Connor said. Don did so, and hoisted the speaker onto the bed. Don then piped up. “Didn’t you forget the amp?” The human hung his head down. “Yup, I did. I’ll be right back. You going to your lab?” Don nodded. “I need to do some stuff. Should I set out that power supply?” Connor nodded. “I’d like to get started on it as soon as I grab this amp.” 

Connor walked out of his room, opening the elevator. Tapping his foot, he needed to get the amp and the condoms and lube he got while he was out, figuring out where to hide it. He could hide it in his nightstand, but there was nothing to hide them under. Under his bed could work, but if someone walks in, they would see a box of condoms and a bottle of lube under the bed. “Bah, fuck it. I’ll just put it in the nightstand, where it should go.” He opened his car and popped the seat forward, reaching into the back seat area and grabbing both the amplifier and the small bag. Putting the small bag into his jacket pocket, he closed the door and walked back into the elevator. When the doors opened, he walked into his room and set the amp on the desk, and then put the small bag into the drawer of his nightstand, in the back corner. 

Sighing as that was done, Connor took off his jacket, boots, and jeans, folding the jeans and putting them back into his drawer. Putting on his sweatpants, he then closed the door to his room and walked into Don’s lab. On the second workbench laid an HP power supply. “Don, where did you even get this thing from, if I may ask?” Don looked over to Connor. “I got it from the junkyard. I didn’t have a use for it until now, I thought you using it would be better than it sitting on the shelf.” 

Connor chuckled. “Yeah, I assume it would be. You have any advice for merging multiple 12-gauge wires to an 8-gauge?” Don thought for a second. “Maybe strip the 12 gauge down and fan out the 8 gauge so it all gets twisted together as a bundle, then solder and heat shrink it?” Connor moved his head a bit. “I figured as much. Where’s your box of random assorted wiring?” Don got up. “Follow me… it’s a big damn box.” Connor got up and followed Don into the storage closet. Don flicked on the light and on the bottom shelf was a 3 foot by 3 foot box just full of wiring. “Get whatever you need, all this is pretty much scrap anyway.” Connor nodded. Pulling out his phone, he grabbed a 4 foot section of 8-gauge wire, and about 12 feet of 12-gauge wire.

Having grabbed the wiring he needed, he needed a few spades, which he grabbed out of a small box, and then some wide heat shrink tubing out of another box on the shelf. “Hey Don, do you have any electrical tape?” “Yeah, it’s up nearer the top.” Connor dug around a bit and found a roll. “Thanks!”, he called out. After the supply gathering, he took these supplies to the workbench, intending to get to work. He first stripped the ends of the 12-gauge wire, putting four spades on the ends and crimping them down. Next was to strip the other ends and fan the copper strands out. With that done, he grabbed the 8-gauge wire and stripped it and did the same to the smaller wires, twisting the 4 wires of the 12-gauge into the strands of the 8-gauge and putting the heat shrink around the larger wire’s end. “Hey Don, do you have a spare soldering setup?” 

Don thought. “I have a small torch, you think that’ll work? I need to order another station it looks like.” Connor nodded. “It’ll work fine. Just need to solder these wires together and solder the spades into this connector.” Don got up and grabbed the portable torch, and picked up a roll of solder on the way back. “Thanks, Don.”, Connor said as he grabbed Don’s hand and squeezed it. Don leaned in for a kiss, which Connor wholeheartedly accepted. “Love you, Don,” Connor said as Don went back to work. “Love you too, Connor. With all of my heart.” Connor melted a bit after hearing that.

Turning back to the bench, he flicked the torch on and started to heat the bundle of wires. After the insulation started to heat up, he unrolled some of the solder and pushed it into the mass of connections, as it started to melt and wick into the wires. Turning the torch back on, he kept adding solder until it went through the whole connection. Letting it cool, he slid the heat shrink around the bundle of wiring and put the torch over it, making the tubing shrink around the wires. He had to do this again for the negative side of the power, which didn’t take all that long. Fifteen minutes later, his main harnesses were done. Now he had to solder the spades into the blades on the power supply, which would take the longest time. He slid the spades into place, and then heated them up just enough with the torch to get solder to flow in between the spade and the blade of the power supply. After ten minutes of careful work, he got it all done, one harness soldered in for the positive side, and one for the negative side. 

He pulled up a pinout for this supply and then bridged the sixth, ninth, and tenth pins to make the power supply turn on permanently, and then bridged the fourth and eighth pins to make the fan stay quiet until real cooling was really needed. “Don, I think I’m done… I’m about to plug it in.” Don walked over and was astonished. “Your wiring job looks clean. I want to see what happens.” Connor grabbed a power cord and plugged the power supply in. The fan spun up and a green light on the front came on. “Looks like it works, onto the next step.” Connor grabbed the roll of electrical tape and wrapped it around the wires, making it look more professional. He took the power supply with the new wires to his room and set it on the desk, screwing the 8-gauge ends into the car amplifier. Now, to set the gains*, this was going to be hard part.

Connor plugged his laptop in to the TV with HDMI, then used a 3.5mm-to-RCA cable running from the TV to the amplifier. Turning the TV on, he set its volume to 100 percent, and then his laptop’s to 100 percent also, intent on getting the loudest signal he could. He opened up Audacity and generated a 100Hz tone at 0 decibels, turning the gain on the amp down to zero. Next was to plug in the speakers. He grabbed a length of twelve-gauge wire and put it in the amplifier first, bridging the 4 channels down to two. He then screwed the wires into the speakers, being careful to get all of the strands in the small holes in the back. The amplifier was all set up, all he had to do was set the main gains.

Turning the tone on at full blast, he slowly turned the gain up. The speakers got louder and louder as he did so, until the 100Hz tone became distorted. He turned the dial back down a notch, and stopped the tone. It was done. Next was to play some music, and Connor wanted some company. He walked out of his room and went into Don’s lab. “Hey, want to listen to some music? I’ve got it all working.” Don immediately put down his tools and got up, walking to the door. “Can I maybe play some music first?” Connor nodded. “Why not, you helped me out the most with this, plus I kind of owe it to…” Connor turned to a whisper. “My sexy boyfriend that I love entirely too much.” Don chuckled. “You have a way with words, babe.” Connor blushed while he opened the room’s door. “There’s a wireless keyboard on the bed, feel free to open up Spotify and choose whatever you want to play.” Don got on the bed and picked up the keyboard while Connor closed and locked the door. 

Don searched through a classic rock playlist, before pressing play on “More Than a Feeling” by Boston. The main strings came through, and then the bass guitar started playing, Don’s face was completely blank. The music sounded so good that he couldn’t even think of what was going on in the room. “Uhhhhh…” was all Don muttered out. He turned up the volume slightly, and his face turned from expressionless to grinning. “Connor, this is the best stereo I’ve ever listened to…. I never knew Boston could sound so good, ever!” Connor laughed. “Isn’t it great? I told you at the junkyard these things were excellent.” Don nodded. “Is it okay if I listened to more music in here?” Connor chuckled. “I think I can work that into the schedule, I do have to shift around a couple of appointments here and there though to pencil you in.” Don laughed as he lunged on top of Connor and kissed him.

“I love you, Connor,” was all Don said before he leapt back in to Connor’s mouth. Connor was going deeper into it, playing with Don’s tongue before Don pulled away. “I think I want to go further, Connor. Is that okay?” Connor nodded. “Hang on real quick though.” He leaned over to his nightstand and felt around for the bag, but it wasn’t there. There was a piece of paper in the drawer, though. “Don, someone took my shit. There’s a note, though.” Connor coughed before reading it. “Sad to see your “stuff” gone, where can it be? I don’t know…. ¯\\_(ツ)_/¯,” is what the piece of paper said. “Whose handwriting is this? I’m assuming it’s Mikey fucking with me.” Don nodded as he looked at the paper. “It’s Mikey. What did he take out of there?” “What do you think? When I was at the bodega earlier I got a package of condoms and a bottle of lube just in case something like this happened. And fucking Mikey took them and is trying to blackmail me right now.” 

Don’s face turned. “You think he knows about us?” Connor thought. “Maybe he does, he’s the expert mind reader of all of you. He also isn’t the one to talk to about respecting others’ privacy. My door was closed. I’m going to find him right now and get my shit back.” Don could hardly stop Connor before he barged out of the door and yelled “MIKEY! YOU MOTHERFUCKER! YOU HAD BETTER COME OVER HERE RIGHT NOW OR I WILL BEAT THE SHIT OUT OF YOU!” Leo’s head turned around as he looked from the couch, an irate human teenager was currently stomping down the stairs. “What did he do to you, Connor?”, Leo asked with only coolness in his voice. “Don’t you fucking dare defend him. He stole some of my shit and probably ruined my fucking night. So I’m just peachy. Where is that little bitch?”

Leo shivered. “He probably started running from you, I saw him dash into the sewers. I’m sorry you need to be the one teaching him this lesson for the millionth time, Connor.” Connor shook his head. “If it takes getting beaten up by a 95 pound teenager, then so be it. I’m fucking done.” Connor pulled open his phone and opened the Turtle Tracker app. Mikey’s head was about a quarter mile from the lair, sitting still. Was he leading Connor on? Connor dashed into his room while Don just stared at him. “That bitch stole my shit and I’m going to get it back, one way or another. The mood’s already ruined, I don’t care. Just don’t want him snooping into my shit again.” 

Don simply laid there quietly, angry about what Mikey did to Connor. Connor wasn’t the type to be pranked, because he would lay down an elaborate trap to ruin your life without a single thought, much like Don. However, Don wasn’t so easy to flare up as Connor was right now. “Hey Connor,” he piped up. “Your eyes are red right now, babe. It may be an effect of the mutagen. I like it.” Connor opened the door and said “Thanks babe. But for right now, I have a turtle to catch.” He laced his boots up and walked out into the sewers, his phone telling him how to get to Mikey. 

After about five minutes of running, Connor finally saw the turtle. Mikey was sitting on the floor crying. “Mikey, what’s wrong?” Mikey continued to sob while stuttering. “I-I-I’m s-s-so-sorry C-Connor.” Connor’s anger started to flare up again. “Sorry for what? You went through my room and specifically in my nightstand to steal my condoms and lube. Why, Mikey? It’s not fucking funny, I’m telling you that right now.” Mikey just cried harder. “I didn’t know you would be that angry, is it because you were about to have sex with Don?” Connor’s face turned pale. “How do you know about us? I wasn’t trying to show any signs of us being together…” 

Mikey finally stopped sobbing, letting out a small snort. “Yeah, you did a great job of it. No one but me knows about it. However, I pretty much can tell you two were doing something, the whole locking the door with Don in there with you, and how you two stayed at the junkyard for longer than usual. Don has been looking for a significant other for a while, and you are pretty much his ideal. I assume it’s the same on the flipside.” Connor smiled. “Yeah, we are a great fit together, much like you and Nano are.” Connor’s face then turned. “But my question is, why did you steal my shit? You already knew we were probably going to fuck each other, so why did you ruin tonight’s mood and any chance of me getting any? Was it supposed to be a prank? Blackmail me to tell everyone we’re together now?”

Mikey shook his head as seriously as he could. “I wasn’t trying to ruin anything. I’d have hoped you had caught it earlier, because I was just trying to have a bit of fun.” “Well, it isn’t fun Mikey. I like pranks and stuff, but they have to be harmless. Tonight, I was harmed. So, how about we go back, and you give me my shit back?” Mikey nodded. “Okay. I’m sorry, Connor. I didn’t know.” Connor smirked. “Also, you had better not go in my room ever again, or I will actually beat the shit out of you. You got that?” Connor shifted his eyes from his normal blue to that deep red color while Mikey watched. Mikey swallowed and nodded. “That mutagen she put into you made you even scarier…” Mikey shivered. “Did you also change your eyes like that on command?” Connor nodded. “Apparently I can do that... My eyes change colors with really strong moods. Apparently they turn dark gray when I’m in lust, and red when I’m angry. However, most of the time, they are my normal blue color.” Mikey nodded. “That’s so cool. I like it.” Connor smiled. “Come on, get up. We’ve gotta get back to the lair. You’ve learned your lesson.” 

Mikey took Connor’s arm and pulled himself up. It was only an eight minute walk back to the lair, and Mikey finally calmed down. Connor wasn’t angry anymore, just mildly annoyed at Mikey’s antics. They both walked into the lair. Leo looked up and down Mikey, glad there was no damage on him anywhere. Connor was visibly more calm, so that was also good. “Didn’t resort to violence, Connor?”, Leo asked. Connor shook his head. “Nope, I didn’t. He did learn his lesson for good I hope. He probably hopes he did too, considering he will get said violence if this happens again. Right, Mikey?” Mikey nodded and hung his head. “Follow me, I’ll go give you your stuff back.” Mikey started going up the stairs and Connor shot back a smirk to Leo as Mikey went into his room and grabbed the small black bag. “Here you go. I’m sorry, Connor. I really am.” Connor smiled and patted Mikey’s shoulder. “It’s okay. Now, I would like not to be disturbed for the rest of the night, if you catch my drift here.” Mikey laughed at the pun and went back down the stairs, joining Leo at the couch.

Connor then opened the door to his room. Don was still listening to music, which was good because he must not have been too worried. “I’m back babe,” Connor said as he shut the door and locked it. Don paused the music and waited for Connor to take his boots off. Connor tossed the small black bag onto the bed as he undid his laces on one foot. Flinging the boot off of his foot, he did the same thing on the other side. Don said “Come here babe.” Connor could only oblige, leaping onto the bed and falling into Don’s arms. Laying his lips on Don’s, Connor just squeezed Don tight against his body. Putting his tongue against the turtle’s, Connor just kept going along with Don, only pausing to breathe. Connor eventually pulled away after several minutes of making out. “I fucking love you. All of you. I want you to take me, like right now Don.” Don was in shock. “After all of that shit with Mikey?” Connor nodded. “He learned his lesson.” 

Don chuckled. “Okay, so what do I do?” Connor laughed. “I’ll show you.” Connor laid next to Don and laid kisses all down his plastron, starting at the top and slowly going down toward the slit at the bottom. Don craned his neck backwards, never feeling the kind of teasing and stimulation like this ever before. Connor looked up and snorted. “Liking it so far, babe?” “Fuck yes I am. Keep going…” Connor dipped his tongue into the slit and Don gasped suddenly, starting to churr. “Come on babe, no need to be shy. I’ll take care of you.” Don dropped his cock out of the slit, and Connor’s eyes widened. “Jesus big boy, you never cease to amaze me. I figured you were big, but not this big.” He was looking at a solid eight inches of cock, more than one and a half inches in diameter. Connor then stuck his tongue out once more and licked from the bottom of Don’s shaft to the top, swirling his tongue around the head. Don kept churring as Connor did that. “Don, what is that noise? It’s sooo fucking hot.” Don chuckled before gasping again. “It’s a churr. We make it when we’re pleasured, and ugh fuck you’re pleasuring me right now, that’s for sure.” Connor laughed. “I think you’re ready.” 

Connor looked at the condoms and then at Don’s cock. “To be honest, I got the “normal human” size. Not the sexy turtle size.” Don laughed as Connor tossed the condoms to the side. “I don’t think we need those anymore.” He then grabbed the lube and handed it to Don. Connor took his pants and underwear off, and positioned himself in front of Don. “Either I can make myself ready or you can help me, babe.” Don smiled. “I’ll help, what do I have to do?” Connor smiled as he moved into a doggystyle kind of position with his head down. “Well, you open the lube and put some on your fingers. You need to stretch me out.” Don nodded. He took the bottle and upended it over the human, who shivered when the substance hit his ass. “Fuck that’s cold…” he gasped. Don then put a large amount onto his index finger and slowly worked it inside Connor, who squirmed a bit. “Yes, stretch me out. I’m not as fragile as you think, babe. Keep going.” Don pushed his finger in slowly, feeling the silky warmth that wrapped around it. He hit a bump with his fingertip, which made Connor twitch. “That was my prostate, it feels great to be touched there.” 

Don chuckled as he added more lube and started to add a second finger in. Connor then grinned at the stretch. “I think I’m ready for you now.” Don pulled his fingers out slowly and Connor turned around and grabbed the lube. He poured a small puddle into his hand and worked it up and down Don’s cock. Don started to churr again as Connor slowly pumped his hand up and down. Adding more lube, he poured it over Don’s cock before getting up and slowly sitting on top of Don. He guided the cock into his now-prepped ass. The tip started to breach Connor’s entrance before he gasped. Don kept churring, now understanding exactly why people liked this kind of stimulation. Connor slowly used gravity to drive Don deeper inside of him, his insides opening and stretching to accommodate the intruding member. “Holy shit, I’m about to take it all!”, Connor exclaimed as he got closer and closer to Don’s stomach. 

Don was in ecstasy. “God, this feels so fuckin’ good babe. Can I start pumping into you yet?” Connor chuckled. “No, not yet. I still need to get used to you in me first. You’re big, remember?” Don laughed. “I think you said that already.” Connor then lifted himself up a bit, giving Don the signal to start. “Go slow at first. We can speed up later.” Don could only nod as he slowly moved in and out of Connor, the feeling of warmth sliding up and down his member. Don churred loudly before moaning out “Oh God, Connor…. You feel so damn good inside… can I keep going?” Connor moaned a yes, as Don started to slowly drive harder thrusts into Connor. “Ugh fuck Donny…. Keep fucking me… please keep on,” Connor mumbled out slowly over a minute. Don could only oblige, him starting to borderline jackhammer his member into Connor at an ever-increasing pace. Connor’s body twitched as Don hit his prostate over and over, spraying cum all over Don’s plastron.

With Connor clenching up, his insides grabbed Don’s member and drove him to an equally as powerful orgasm, his body tensed up as he drove as far as he could into Connor before unloading rope after rope of cum into the receptive body. Don sighed. “Holy shit, that was amazing…” Connor laughed. “Yes, yes it was.” The two laid there for several minutes, enjoying the afterglow of their lovemaking. “Hey Don, you might need to get back to your room, or at least the lab. I don’t know how any of the others besides Mikey might react to you waking up in my room…” Don chuckled. “We both smell like a whorehouse. Can we at least get a shower in together?” “Yes, yes we can, babe.” Connor kissed Don as he lifted off, making Don’s member drop out of him. That empty feeling was debilitating, but it had to be done. 

Connor got up and peeked out of the door, seeing no one in the lair. He left for the bathroom while Don just laid there in shock. He had just fucked his boyfriend, and he loved it. Now they were going to shower together. Don pinched himself. “Ouch,” he yelped. He was certainly not dreaming. Don shook his head and went out of the room, walking into the bathroom. Connor was there waiting for Don to come in. Connor leapt up and gave Don a kiss, grabbing the turtle and spinning him around so Connor could nudge the hot water lever down. Connor pulled away and chuckled. “Who said I wasn’t a multitasker?” Don laughed. “All I did say is that you are all I could ever need in someone… wait I didn’t say that. Well, I said it now.” Connor’s eyes turned to that dark gray color again as he pressed his lips against Don’s, forcing his tongue into Don’s mouth, the two swirling around and dancing around with each other. 

Before long though, the thrum of the water heater finally sounded. The two separated and Connor took off his shirt, watch, and glasses while Don took off nothing. Connor reached his hand into the shower to test the temperature, and he turned it down slightly. “Perfect,” he said before he got into the shower. “Babe, are you just gonna stand there, or are you going to get in?” Don shook his head and then started walking to the shower, lifting himself into the bathtub. Connor wrapped his arms around Don and kissed him under the showerhead, water drizzling onto the two teenagers. Don continued the kiss for another minute before pulling away. “I think we should finally get clean, huh?” Connor grinned. “Doesn’t mean cleaning has to be boring….” Don chuckled. “No, I guess it doesn’t have to…” Connor leaned in for another kiss before grabbing the soap, lathering it in his hands. 

Connor set the soap down on the shelf of the tub as he rubbed his hands against Don’s plastron. Don churred quietly as that happened, loving the feeling of his lover rubbing on him like that. Connor smiled and kept on, adding more soap to his hands and rubbing into Don’s skin on his shoulders and arms, squeezing gently as he did. Connor chuckled. “Babe, you’ll need to drop down if you want me to keep going.” Don did so, and Connor carefully wrapped his right hand against Don’s member. Don churred louder as he did that, and Connor chuckled as he let his hand go and grabbed more soap, rubbing his hands down Don’s legs.

Don still churred at the touch, even if it wasn’t on his dick anymore. Connor looked up and smirked. “Rinse off, and I’ll get your shell.” Don nodded and did so, and Connor grabbed the soap and lathered Don’s carapace from top to bottom, and grabbed the brush and gently went through all of the small cracks and crevices, noting scars that were there, probably from accidents or battles or both. He put the brush back up, and rubbed these spots especially. “Can you feel what I’m doing with your shell?”, Connor asked. Don nodded. “We do have nerves that run through them. Can’t really feel it like skin, but I still can feel pressure.” Connor smiled. “That’s interesting. I’ve just never thought about that before, considering well… before Sunday I’d never seen a humanoid turtle before. Now look where I am, babe.” Connor chuckled. “I wouldn’t want to get rid of this feeling, ever.” Connor wrapped his hands around Don and Don giggled in reply. Connor then let go and grabbed the soap, getting the back of Don’s neck going down into his carapace, and then went and soaped up the back of his legs. 

“‘Kay babe, I’m done. You can rinse off now. Now I can wash myself off, huh?” Don laughed. “Want me to help you? I think you’ll need to wash your hair though…” Connor laughed in reply. “I can do that, not like I’ve done that for 5 years with long hair.” Don grabbed the soap and lathered it, starting at Connor’s chest. “I like the feeling of you touching me, babe.”, Connor said in a deep tone, slightly shaking his chest for Don to feel. Don just kept going, slowly working in circles until he got to Connor’s waist. “I can see you’re already hard,” Don said with a laugh. “That’s okay, you can’t hide it like us.” He rubbed more soap on his hands before putting his hands on Connor’s member.

“Ah… fuck babe. Your hands feel so good…” Connor moaned out through gritted teeth. Don chuckled as he continued to feel around Connor’s crotch. “You say I’m big, but you’re not that small either babe… I would like to take this sometime.” Connor laughed. “I think we have plenty of time to get to that point… also the fuck are you doing?” Don was holding Connor’s nuts in his hands, slightly squeezing. “Oh… shit. Sorry. I forgot they were sensitive. Our testicles are internal.” Connor chuckled. “Yeah, you’re lucky. If someone knees you in the nuts, you’re going down. There’s some sort of response linked to your stomach too. So you’re curled on the ground wanting to die and vomit at the same time. It’s great.”

After the next five minutes, Don soaped down his lover and got him rinsed off. Now was to wash Connor’s hair. Connor made sure his hair was soaking wet and grabbed the shampoo off the shelf. Putting a sizeable glob in his palm, he spread it in his hands before applying it to his scalp and working down, rubbing it all in to the hair strands and scalp. “Why don’t you shampoo the ends like you did the scalp?” Connor smiled with his eyes closed. “It’s because all the oils come from the scalp, and that’s where it all tends to build up. If I shampooed the ends the way I do my scalp, they’ll be dried out.” Don nodded as Connor rinsed the shampoo out of his hair. “Now the fun part, the conditioner,” Connor said as he reached for the white bottle. He stepped out of the spray of the showerhead, swapping sides with Don. “Why did you step out of the water?” Connor chuckled. “My hair is the opposite of porous, which means it’ll hold the water in. If I don’t squeeze at least some of it out, the conditioner won’t work itself in quite right. Oil and water, you get it, like Leo doesn’t.” Don laughed as Connor put another glob of product into his palm. 

Spreading it through the back section of his hair, Connor continued the conversation. “And if you ask, no I don’t condition my scalp. It’ll get horribly greasy quickly, and that’s not a good look.” Don laughed. “I don’t care what you look like, babe. You’ll always look good, no matter how dirty you are.” Connor chuckled. “Babe, I know that. But, if I’m out in public, I don’t want to look like I don’t wash myself, you know? You can get away with it, but I can’t.” Connor then walked under the showerhead to rinse the conditioner out of his hair, making sure it flowed through. He brushed his hair with his fingers as he did so, to break it up. “I’m almost done babe, would it be okay if I turned off the water?” Don nodded. “Go ahead, I’m going to get out and dry off. I assume it’s going to take longer for you to.” 

Connor laughed. “If you call me having to wring my hair out for five minutes straight longer, then sure.” Don chuckled. “Why does it take so long to dry out?” “Well think about it babe, my hair type. I just told you about how it holds water. Also, I have a lot of it, so yeah.” Connor squeezed the majority of the water out of his hair before getting out of the shower, grabbing a towel. He quickly dried his body off before sitting on the toilet, whipping his hair forward, much to Don’s surprise. “You look like you’re a metal rocker doing that babe.” Connor laughed. “That’s the point. I can headbang with the best of ‘em. Now watch this.” He set the towel over the back of his head, grabbing the end of his hair and twisting it into a towel turban. “Now I don’t need to do anything except wait.” Don got his lover up and kissed him. “Love you, babe.” Connor wrapped his arms around Don and continued the kiss. “You too. Now, it’s probably about one and we need to get some sleep.” Don whined. “I hate that I can’t sleep with you, babe…” Connor hugged Don tighter. “Don’t worry, we’ll be there soon enough.” 

Don poked his head out of the bathroom, calming down seeing everyone was asleep. He gestured to get out, and Connor nodded as he flicked the hot water lever back up. The two stopped in the hallway and just held each other. They kissed before separating and heading to their rooms, that empty feeling looming over both. Connor walked into his room and closed the door, putting away the lube and condoms into his nightstand, and he turned off his TV. Getting into the bed carefully not to mess up his towel, he laid down with the sheets and a blanket over him. He normally didn’t sleep naked, but alas, it had to happen sometime. He still felt lonely laying in his bed alone. When he was in Georgia, he always slept alone, so it wasn’t an issue. However, now that there was a purple banded turtle in his life, it now felt like some sort of nagging toddler pulling at his clothes.

Sitting up, he took the towel and started untwisting it, sliding it off of his head. His hair was still quite damp, but at least it wasn’t wet. He laid on his side, throwing the towel onto the floor and pulling his hair behind his back. Pulling the sheets around his neck, he started to feel asleep. It still felt wrong, but sleep was more important than feeling lonely. Falling into the void, Connor fell asleep, dreaming about Don of course.

* * *

*gain - a ratio between input power and output power of an amplifier. Too low, and it’s quiet. Too high, and it distorts and clips and blows things up. Connor was aiming the gain to its highest point before distortion, so most of the power headroom the amplifier had wasn’t going to waste.

* * *


	7. Anxiety

* * *

RECOMMENDED LISTENING:

Grand Theft Ecstasy - Feed Me

Fitting title, but really a rocking electro house slash dubstep track. 

Chester’s Burst Over the Hamptons - Kishi Bashi

Not quite to Connor’s taste, more Leo’s.

When All That’s Left Is You (album) - Quietdrive

Alternative rock album that’s not all bad.

* * *

* * *

Thursday, February 1, 2018, 7:30 AM

* * *

Connor’s phone started blasting the nuclear alarm, as Connor started to stumble around for it. “Ugh… fuck.”, he said as he turned off the incessant blaring. “I’m up… I’m up… fuckin’ hell.” Connor got up and stretched, popping his back as he did so. “Why is it so damn cold in here?”, he asked himself before looking down. “Oh, that’s why…”, he said as he looked at his naked body. Connor then got off the bed, putting a pair of briefs and some socks on. Opening the drawer that held his jeans, he put on the gray pair. Now to find a shirt to match. “Hmm…”, he hummed as he saw the lilac colored T-shirt in the closet. He took it and put it on, looking in the mirror. He actually looked presentable, save for his hair pretty much looking like a mop. He chuckled as he walked out of his room, heading towards the bathroom. It was open, so he brushed his hair and his teeth, trying to get the scent of Don off of him as much as possible, so no one else could tell. After putting deodorant on his armpits, he walked down the stairs in a zombie-like state.

He immediately rushed to the coffeemaker, glad to see there was hot coffee in it already. Connor grabbed a big mug and added coffee and hazelnut creamer into it. Raph chuckled as he sat at the table, nursing on a cup of coffee. “Ya okay there buddy?” Connor shook his head. “Didn’t sleep worth a shit. Now I feel like a MTA bus has ran over me a couple of times, backing up for good measure.” Raph laughed. “I’ve been there. How was the junkyard run last night?” “It was good. We got a pair of seats from an S-Class, I think we can get all of the electric motors in them to work. Having the lap of luxury in the living room, wouldn’t that be nice? Also, I found a pair of speakers that are like the bomb. Blew away Don when he was listening to Boston last night.” 

Raph grinned. “Ya think I could try ‘em out later? If they blew Don away, I bet they’re pretty damn good.” Connor chuckled. “All for the price of free, I got the five-finger discount on those bad boys. I figured out how to use a car amplifier to run them, too. Works great. You probably heard when I had to do that test tone to set everything up.” Raph shook his head. “I heard nothin’. Your room is soundproofed, ‘least I think it is. Seems like the walls are thicker when they built that room compared ta the others.” Connor nodded, thinking to himself. “ _If he couldn’t hear that test tone last night, he couldn’t hear us fucking, huh?_ ” Connor smiled at that revelation. “What are you smilin’ about?”, Raph asked. “Nothing, just thinking about all of that stuff. A lot of luck went into that, I think.” 

Raph chuckled. “You’re one lucky fucker, that’s for sure. Even in this past week. Not just speakers, either. Think about it.” Connor nodded. “I guess I am. First though, before I even start thinking, let me get something to eat.” Connor grabbed a plate and went into the fridge, grabbing some leftover casserole from the previous morning and some bacon and a biscuit. Popping the plate into the microwave, he sat back down. “You eaten anything yet?” he asked Raph. Raph nodded. “Got a bowl of cereal earlier. What you got in there looks good though.” Connor laughed. “You know how good it was, Raph. Don’t tell me you’re just looking, there’s more left in there, by the way.” Raph shook his head. “I’m good, thanks though.”

Raph got up from the table. “I’m going with Leo into the dojo if you need me.” Connor chuckled. “Aight, don’t go too crazy with him.” Raph laughed as he shook his head. “I think we’ll be fine.” As Raph walked into the dojo, the door to Don’s room opened. Connor looked up and saw the purple-banded turtle walk out of his room as he borderline squealed in his sight. He got up and got a mug and poured some coffee into it for Don as the turtle was walking down the stairs. Setting the mug down as Don walked into the kitchen, Connor leapt into his arms. The turtle was surprised when the human squeezed him like that, but he repeated the gesture. The two were about to pull away before Connor pulled Don’s head down and pushed against his lips in a searing kiss.

Don pulled away after a minute. “Love you too, babe. But we’re in the lair…” Connor froze as he looked up. “Oh shit…” Mikey was standing in the hallway, looking like he was laughing. He walked down the stairs as Don became annoyed. “Couldn’t have just gone down here? Had to enjoy the show?” Mikey laughed as he walked into the kitchen. “I enjoyed the show, now I need breakfast to go with it.” Connor sat down at the table with his head down. “Thank fuck it was Mikey watching us, Don, and not anyone else.” Mikey laughed. “I won’t spill anything, just make sure you guys aren’t all over each other. Just be normal… I think Splinter’ll catch on soon enough though, so be careful. He’s the ninja master, not me.” 

Don rubbed his eyes after Mikey said that. “He does catch stuff like that, doesn’t he? Babe, we can’t do anything now unless it’s behind closed doors I guess… right Mikey?” Mikey nodded. “I won’t say anything, I already learned thanks to last night… but just be careful, guys. Leo won’t care as long as you and him are still good in battle, and Splinter won’t care because he’s been through this twice. As long as he doesn’t see it or hear it, he’s good. There’s only one person I have an issue with, and that’s Raph. He… seems like he had feelings for you, Don. I’m just worried what his reaction is going to be like with Connor… if he knew of course.”

Connor bristled after hearing that. “What do you think he might do?” Mikey shrugged. “Who knows. All I do know is he’s possibly had feelings for Don in the past, but maybe let go of them. It’s going to be a little complicated with him than Leo or Splinter, that’s for sure.” Don simply stood there to think. “Mikey, do you have any idea of what I can do with him to break the ice a bit?” Mikey shook his head. “Right now, I don’t. But I’ll think about it. I have nothing else to do today, anyway.” Don smiled. “Please do. I’m kind of nervous about what he’ll do, to be honest.” Connor reached up and rubbed his shoulder, making him calm down a bit. 

“I’ll be okay babe, we’ll figure it out. We’re the smart ones, aren’t we?”, Connor asked as Don chuckled in reply. “I’m afraid interpersonal relationships aren’t our thing though, babe. We’re more mechanically minded.” Connor laughed in reply. “You might need to get something to eat, babe. Standing around freaking out drinking coffee doesn’t help. Hang on…” Connor grabbed the leftovers from the fridge, putting them on a plate. “I saved this for you. Figured you might have wanted it.” Don smiled as Connor put the plate in the microwave and said, “Thanks for thinking of me like that. I guess I’m not used to that kind of treatment yet, huh?” Mikey’s face scrunched as Don said that, which made him laugh. “Mikey, you know what I’m talking about, you just have Nano, who doesn’t need to be fed.” Connor chuckled. “I also gotta make sure he eats. I do the same thing he does at times, get to work and forget to eat or even go to the bathroom. It’s annoying to say the least when it’s 10 o’clock at night and you wonder why you’re so hungry.” 

The microwave beeped, and Don started to salivate. “I seem to be hungry… I’m starting to drool just thinking about your food.” Connor laughed. “I guess I tend to do that.” He pulled the plate out of the microwave and sat it down in front of the turtle, who immediately dug in. “This stuff is so good….”, Don mumbled with food in his mouth. Mikey whimpered. “That’s not fair! He got the rest of the food you made!” Connor chuckled. “You didn’t ask me, ‘Hey Connor, do you have any leftovers I could have?’, you didn’t ask me shit. Also Don was here first, so he gets priority, plus… you know.” Mikey shook his head and chuckled. “I guess I’ll just suffer by with my sugary bowl of cereal…” Leo and Raph walked out of the dojo after Mikey said that, the two of them sitting at the table. Raph laughed. “Connor, did you take it upon yourself to feed Don?” The human then nodded. “Yeah, I guess I have. He doesn’t eat enough as is, and just coffee for breakfast isn’t the best.” Raph chuckled. “We’ve been trying to get him to eat for years… guess you’re the man for the job, huh?” 

Leo simply looked at the table with his brothers and the teenager sitting at it and smiled. “Connor, how are your ribs feeling?” Connor put his fork down and replied. “They’re feeling a bit better, but I’m going to hold out until Tuesday, like Don said to. Don’t really want to risk it. I guess you guys could start practicing or whatever, I could watch or something until then.” Leo nodded. “That sounds like a good idea. Practice starts tomorrow morning, Connor can watch until Tuesday, where he will start building basic strength and flexibility… we will need to find his strengths and weaknesses in battle, but that is later.” All of the rest of them at the table agreed. Connor only smiled. “I can’t wait… although my body will pretty much be jelly after the first session of whatever we do…” 

All of the table laughed at that, while Leo replied. “Yep, that’s what happens pretty much. You’ll be fine though after a few sessions.” Raph nodded. “I won’t go too hard on ya to start.” Connor quirked an eyebrow. “Raph’s training me?” Leo nodded. “We talked about it earlier. He’s at a much higher level than any of us, so he can afford to take the time off to help you out.” Raph nodded. “Gotta get the twig to less-twig.” Connor laughed. “Man, one time in second grade, a girl likened me to a glass of milk…” Mikey almost choked on his cereal after hearing that, and Raph chuckled. “That works too, I guess. Second grade, how old is that?” “I was about eight then.” Leo piped up. “You’ve always been small and thin?” Connor nodded, finishing his bite of food as Master Splinter walked into the kitchen and sat down at the table.

“Son, please continue,” he said calmly. “I’ve been listening off and on, I must admit.” Connor chuckled. “It’s fine, sensei. Listen to me whenever you want… But anyway. I was born prematurely, like I think 4 months early or something is what my parents said. I probably should spare the details of why it happened, but pretty much since then I’ve been small. I’ve fully formed and grown fine, I’ve just been small. Not just in height, either, which doesn’t help. My mom was 4 foot 11, and my dad is 6 foot 6… Talk about an interesting couple, that’s for sure.” Raph laughed. “You kidding me? That’s like a Doberman and a Chihuahua together!” Connor laughed in reply.

“Haha, that’s a good way to put it. And I’m about right in the middle of those two, so here we are. I’m 5 foot 4 and still tiny… My sister is probably taller than I am at this point.” Don chuckled. “That doesn’t have to feel too great…” Connor shrugged in reply. “I don’t care how tall I’m not, as long as I can pull it off, and that’s all that matters really. Even if I have to wear boy’s size pants while doing so…” Connor chuckled to himself after saying that. “I don’t really care. I look fine enough and definitely not like anyone else, that’s for sure.” Don nodded. “Alright. I’m going up to my lab if anyone needs me.” Don rinsed his plate off before walking out of the kitchen. Connor watched him go up the stairs as Don threw a wink towards his lover. Connor looked back and put his plate away, sitting back down at the table. 

“Is that it for this conversation? I think Don kind of ended it on a weird note, huh?” Raph chuckled. “He always does that. It’s normal to us by now.” Master Splinter smiled. “Son, that’s Donatello ‘in a nutshell’ if you will. It’s fine.” Connor chuckled. “Okay, whatever you say, sensei. It’s still weird to me.” Splinter, Leo, and Raph got up. Splinter commandeered the TV as Leo and Raph went back into the dojo to practice with each other some more. Mikey simply looked over at Connor and started the conversation, whispering. “So, what did you two do last night?” Connor blushed a bit. “Well, I let Don take me last night… he’s bigger than you might expect. I could barely fit him in me…” Mikey started laughing quietly. “I don’t have that problem with Nano, he conforms himself to my body. It’s kind of weird.” 

Connor simply looked confused. “What does he even feel like? Like metal, or like some sort of like silicone?” Mikey blushed. “Depends on what state he’s in. If he’s changing his size, it’s like a weird Jello. But when he’s in shape, he’s more like a solid silicone. It’s definitely different to a normal dick, that’s for sure.” Connor chuckled. “I guess fucking a robot is different than a turtle, huh? Anyway, any other questions about my sex life?" Mikey shook his head. “Nope, go up there and get you some, big boy.” Connor shook his head as he got up and walked up the stairs, intent on getting some good time in with Don.

He opened the door to Don’s lab and slowly walked in. Don was on his computer looking at pretty much nothing. When Connor walked in, the turtle turned around and grinned. “Come here babe… with that stunt you pulled this morning you deserve to be… punished.” Connor grinned as well, looking forward to whatever the turtle was going to do. “Ooh, you sound kinky today, don’t you babe.” Don simply made a “come here” gesture, with which Connor obliged. Connor straddled Don’s lap, about to lean in for a kiss before Don pushed him back. “No kissing, just you being the obedient human you should have always been… Now kneel down and suck me off like the pathetic bitch you are.” Connor did so, licking his lips before kneeling down as Don dropped down. 

Connor stuck his tongue out, borderline drooling as he licked from the base of Don’s member to the tip, swirling it around the head before slowly working the hardening member into his mouth. “ _Be careful of the teeth, Connor… be careful of the teeth…_ ” is all he could think before working his tongue around the shaft, using the beginning of his throat to massage Don’s head. Don started to churr as he did that, trying to hold back from pumping himself into the human’s throat. Connor looked up and deeply inhaled through his nose, to get some air in his lungs before pulling off of Don’s member. Pushing his head back down, Connor tried to go deeper, which he did. His gag reflexes started to kick in, twitching and convulsing before Don groaned and shot his load down Connor’s throat.

Don simply held there for a second before pulling out, finishing slightly on Connor’s face. Pulling some deep breaths in and out, Connor licked around his mouth, trying to get all of Don’s cum he can before getting back up. “Some warning might have been nice, babe… Almost choked me out there.” Don put his head in his hands. “I’m sorry… I probably should have said something, but god damn you were too good. Also, what did you think about the whole me-trying-to-be-dominant thing?” Connor laughed. “I loved it. I guess you do know me, huh? I love that kind of kinky shit. Gets me going in an instant.” 

Don smiled. “I guess I should try it again later sometime… Also sorry about me finishing with no warning. I was just too engrossed in the feeling for me to say anything.” Connor waved his hands in the air. “It’s okay, I just have another problem though, babe. Something to the tune of ‘I’m now rock hard.’” Don chuckled. “I guess I can maybe try to return the favor then?” Connor shook his head. “I’m not a fan of teeth. Give me a handjob and we can call it even. First let me clean myself up though, you did a number on me.” Don laughed as Connor grabbed a tissue and dampened it , rubbing it over his face. The human then sat back down at the computer chair and unbuttoned his jeans, sliding them off his legs.

Don then grinned, admiring the view of the teenager in his underwear, because that wouldn’t last long. The turtle then grabbed the waistband of the briefs and pulled them down off Connor’s legs as well, seeing the painfully hard cock bounce up as he did so. Don chuckled. “Want me to use any lube?” Connor nodded. “Anything will work, I just don’t think it will be the best completely dry.” Don got up and grabbed a small jar of Vaseline and spread it in his hand. Kneeling back down in front of Connor, he wrapped his hand around the human’s cock and started to slowly stroke up and down. Connor’s head went right into the back of the chair. “Babe, this is exactly what I needed… ahh fuck,” he moaned. “Keep going…” Don could only smile as he did so, intending to making his lover explode. 

He stroked up and down slowly, as Connor just quietly moaned from the stimulation. “Keep going babe… fuck…” Don kept going, albeit slowly. He intended to drag this out, to make the human beg for release. Don then let go, circling his thumb around the ridge of Connor’s head. Connor then squirmed in the chair, trying to keep his composure but failing. Don chuckled darkly. “When I said I’d give you a handjob, that doesn’t mean it had to be quick… did it? I want to torture you until you beg for me to let you release… how doesn’t that sound fun?” Connor’s eyes opened wide. “Oh fuck… Guess you didn’t stop the domination shit huh? Well that is about to make me…” Don let go of Connor at that moment, to stop him from going over the point of no return. “What did I say bitch? No release until you beg me to stop…” 

Connor then bit his lip as Don continued to rub slowly, edging him. He also wanted to see how long he could last, but it wasn’t going to be that long considering Don was making every nerve on his member feel like it was on fire. The turtle continued to slowly stroke, making it more and more clinical by the stroke. “Please babe… can I cum? Please?” Don shook his head. “Not until you beg… you just asked.” Don moved his hand down the shaft, intent on not touching the head of Connor’s dick. Stroking the shaft three times, he then went back up to the head, circling around it his thumb. That was the line in the sand for Connor. “Please babe… I want to cum, please…..” Don smiled. “There you go.” 

The turtle then sped up the speed of the stroking, intent on getting Connor off as quickly as he could, overstimulating him. Connor started to pant.“No… fuck… babe… please…” Don moved his mouth over Connor, ready for the teenager to blow. “Cum bitch. You’re so pathetic for begging me to release, you know that?” After Don asked that, Connor’s body tensed up, shooting ropes of cum into the turtle’s mouth. Don then let go, intending to ruin the rest of the orgasm. Connor Iooked as Don’s face tensed up as he finally started to taste the human’s seed, which made him laugh. “It’s an acquired taste, that’s for sure.” Don’s eyes were closed as continued to wince, swallowing. Connor was still laughing. “At least you didn’t spit like some of these bitches do.” Don got up and leaned in for a kiss, which the human accepted wholeheartedly. 

The two kissed, their tongues tasting like each other. Don pulled away after a minute, still shivering a bit. “Ugh, I probably shouldn’t have let you shoot into my mouth.” Connor chuckled. “I still taste good on you…” Don smiled. “You too..” The two returned to their kiss, their tongues dancing around with each other. Connor bit Don’s tongue a bit, which made him shake. “I guess he liked that,” he thought as Don repeated the gesture, which made Connor wrap his arms around the turtle. The two continued to kiss before something beeped in the lab. Don pulled away. “I’ve gotta check on that, babe.” Don walked over to a centrifuge, happy to see his reaction working. “Yes, this is working great so far..” Connor got up and wiped the Vaseline off his member before putting his underwear and pants back on. “What are you doing anyway, babe?” Don smiled in reply.

“More stuff with your DNA. I’m still stumped to as how that mutagen let you change your eye color in response to moods. It’s so fucking hot when you do that, you know?” Connor chuckled. “I changed my eyes from blue to red in anger when I was looking at Mikey in the sewers. It scared him, honestly. It worked. Made him clam up.” Don laughed. “I guess whatever did that to you is a good thing. Also, when your eyes change to that dark gray color, it immediately turns me on, signaling you’re not going to stop with me.” Connor looked into Don’s eyes and changed his eyes to the lustful color. Connor leapt up and met Don with a kiss, staring into his brown eyes. Don only shuddered in response. “God, that turns me on so much.” Connor separated from the turtle and laughed.

“That’s my duty now, to turn you on like that.” Don laughed. “Well, you also can do other things with me, but I do have to admit the sex is the most fun part. Also, what did you think of my handjob?” Connor blushed. “I wasn’t expecting you to still be in control, but I liked it. You are great at the humiliation aspect though, it made me borderline explode. Also, you’re a dickhead for edging me like that.” Don chuckled and shook his head. “Looks like I’ve learned, huh? Anyway, is there anything else you need to do?” A light bulb came on in Connor’s head. “Oh yeah, I need to repaste my laptop. It thermal shutdown last night after you left, which kind of sucked. Mind if I work in here? My bed isn’t the best place for tearing down electronics.” 

Don nodded. “Of course you can, babe. You need any thermal paste?” Connor shook his head. “I have some Arctic Silver in my bag. Hang on, I’ll be right back.” Connor walked out of his lab and unplugged his laptop from the TV, and then grabbed his toolkit and thermal paste out of his bag, taking it all to the workbench in the lab. He set the laptop and tools down on the bench, and sat down. Removing the battery out of the laptop, he set it to one side. Opening his phone, he brought up the repair manual for the laptop, a Dell Inspiron 3542. “Remove access panel, then keyboard…” he mumbled. He removed the screw for the bottom access panel, sliding it off. Next, he removed the keyboard with the five plastic clips on top, and popped it upside down and removed its connector. Next was the hard drive and optical drive, which was both sliding the optical drive out and removing four screws for the hard drive. 

Now removing about ten screws off the bottom, he lifted the palm rest up and carefully disconnected the touchpad cable. Don looked over. “You’re already in that thing?” Connor nodded. “Like I said, laptops are easy-peasy. I’ve already had this thing apart once, too.” Don just looked back at the still-disassembled motion detector in front of him. Connor then removed the motherboard after about two minutes, flipping it upside down on the desk. Removing the five screws holding the heatsink to the processor and chipset, he lifted it off carefully, disconnecting the fan cable and spraying dust out of the fins with a can of compressed air. “Oh, Don, do you have any isopropyl alcohol anywhere?” Don nodded. “In the infirmary in the cabinet. 91 percent good enough?” “Yep, just need to clean the majority of the gunk off this shit.” Instead of going to the infirmary first, he walked down the stairs and into the kitchen to get a couple of coffee filters. Getting those, he then walked back up the stairs and into the infirmary, where he grabbed one of the bottles of isopropyl alcohol. 

Don looked at him confused. “Coffee filters?” Connor nodded. “Lint-free. When I have to rub on this stuff, I don’t want random paper fibers everywhere.” “Oh… okay. It looked weird at first. I guess a bit of paper towel on a laptop processor isn’t good, huh?” Connor shook his head. “Nope, not really.” He then folded the coffee filter into a rectangular shape and put some rubbing alcohol on it, wiping the old thermal compound off the heatsink contact points and the processor and chipset. After two cleanings, both were clean, ready for new compound. He put a small blob on each of the exposed processor dies, and carefully pressed the now-clean copper heatsink in place, careful to keep it aligned. Next was to tighten the screws in order, torquing them down to whenever they stopped spinning. They had springs on them, so you couldn’t overtighten them.

Twenty minutes later, he had the laptop all back together, careful of all of the ZIF-style connectors he had to reconnect. “Alright, babe, I’m going to go and burn this in, if you need me I’ll be in my room,” Connor said. Don only looked up. “Love you, babe.” Connor chuckled as he walked out of the lab, heading toward his room with his laptop and tools. He plugged the laptop back into the TV and plugged in power. He turned it on, glad to see it all still worked. Turning on the TV, he opened Aida64, a stress testing program. He turned on the system stress test function and went for maximum load. After turning it on, he walked out of the room, heading down to the living room.

Raph was watching a football game on the TV with Mikey playing a video game on the second screen. Connor shook his head as he sat down on the sofa next to the red-banded turtle. Raph continued to yell at the TV, bellowing out things like “THAT’S NOT AN INTERCEPTION!” or “YOU COULDN’T CATCH IT?”. Connor laughed at the comments. Raph just looked over, surprised to see Connor. “You laughing at me?” Connor nodded. “You sound exactly like my dad, yelling at the TV. He doesn’t do it just about football, though… even things like whatever TV show he was watching.” Raph laughed. “Him and me sound kinda similar.” “Yep, you do. He’s also brash and proud of it. Swearing in like stores and shit at the top of his lungs to get me to shut up. Wonderful.” Raph chuckled. “Yep, sounds like me. I should probably meet him sometime.” Connor shook his head. “You two will go too well together... Couldn’t separate you guys if I tried.” 

Raph chuckled. “Birds of a feather, I guess. Do you watch football often?” Connor shook his head. “Only really during the Super Bowl. Eagles versus Patriots, who do you think’ll win?” Raph snorted. “A hundred bucks on the Patriots.” Connor laughed. “Ya really betting on that?” Raph nodded. “Alright, I bet one-fifty the Eagles take it.” Raph chuckled. “You’re on. That hundred and fifty bucks is mine, pal.” Connor shook his head. “Brady might have ten rings, but I doubt he’s getting an eleventh…” Raph shook his head now. “You don’t know who you’re talking about. It’s Brady. He crushed the Falcons last year, remember that?” Connor hung his head in shame. “Don’t make me think about that, twenty-eight to three bullshit. Our whole state was depressed for like a week and a half after that shit.” 

Raph laughed. “I bet they were, that 25 point lead completely obliterated by my boy. Jones didn’t know what the fuck happened fourth quarter.” Connor sighed. “Alright, well I’m going to my room if you need me. I’ll be laughing about me winning that bet.” Raph laughed. “Sure, pal. Go up there and sulk.” Connor then got off the couch and went up the stairs, walking into Don’s lab. “So… babe… I may have put a hundred and fifty bucks on the table against Raph…” Don looked up in amazement. “Are you stupid?” Connor shrugged. “Guess I am. He bet a hundred bucks the Patriots would take it, and I put one fifty on the table for the Eagles. It’s a pretty even match, considering most teams are going together.” Don shook his head. “Don’t come crying to me when you lose…” Connor chuckled. “What if I win? What should I spend that hundred bucks on? A romantic dinner with my boyfriend, perhaps? Or maybe a sort of getaway for a weekend? Or should I just blow it on car parts and not think about you?” 

Don got up and kissed Connor. “I think you know who to spend it on, babe. You don’t even need to spoil me if you do win. I just want a night with us together without having to worry about anyone else barging in on us.” Connor stood there and thought. “You know what? I might have a way we can do that. I’ll think about it first.” Don grinned. “I know you’d come up with something, babe.” Don then leaned in for another kiss, which Connor accepted. “Alright babe, I gotta go talk to Mikey about the whole… well… you know situation.” Don nodded. “Alright, I love you.” Connor walked backwards to the door, saying “I love you too, babe. And I promise I’ll do something for you for Valentine’s Day.” Don chuckled. “I hope your word is not going to be taken for granted, babe. I can’t wait.” 

Connor then walked out of the lab, intending on poaching Mikey off the game and needing to talk to them about the situation revolving around the red-banded turtle who was still watching the game. Connor stood at the railing of the stairs and growled “Mikey!”. The turtle snapped his head around and saw the human telling him to come up there. He paused his game and ran up the stairs. “My room…” Connor growled. Mikey nodded as he did so. Raph was still engrossed in his football game, so he saw nothing. When Connor walked into his room, Mikey followed. “So, you got any thoughts?”, Connor asked. Mikey shook his head. “I don’t know what to do with him. Maybe just lay it on him, and go from there. I know Leo will be fine with it, considering he is in a similar situation. Splinter will be harder to convince, but he’ll accept if you give him a couple of reasons to, spoon feed it per se.” Connor nodded. “Anything else?” Mikey’s eyes widened. “Hang on, I do have something.” 

Mikey ran to his room and grabbed a piece of paper off the desk, knocking some colored pencils onto the floor as he did so. He held the colored side against his chest as he walked back to Connor’s room. “This is what I had.” He held the piece of paper out to Connor, who took it and froze. “M-M-Mikey…” He sat down on the bed and held his eyes, trying not to tear up. “I didn’t want to cry today, but now I am. Too bad I can’t display this quite yet, you know?” Mikey nodded. “It’s okay. I just wanted to keep that moment living forever, I guess.” Connor stood up and grabbed Mikey, squeezing him tight. “Mikey, you fucker. Borderline ruin my night last night and then make my day that much better. What am I going to do with you?” Mikey chuckled. “Nothing, hopefully. You’re now also taken, remember…” Connor started to laugh. “I guess I am now, huh? You know I’ve gotta show this to Don, preferably alone...” Mikey took the hint and left the room, going down the stairs and back to his game. 

The human then went back into Don’s lab, and sat down next to the turtle. “Babe, you need to look at this.” Don looked up and he froze. “Mikey made this?” Connor nodded. “It’s fucking beautiful, isn’t it?” The scene was Don and Connor in the kitchen earlier this morning, encapsulated in their kiss. Connor’s hair flowed down his back as the tails of Don’s mask trailed down his, with each other’s eyes closed. Connor’s arms were wrapped around the turtle as he pulled closer to Don. The image was colored in purple spots, like Don’s mask and Connor’s shirt. Don could only stare while tearing up. “Don’t worry, I cried too, babe.” Don chuckled as he wiped his eyes. “Mikey really can draw the mood of a moment, huh? He needs to become a professional artist somehow.”

“Yeah, he does. You should probably tell him. I think we should put this somewhere after we’re finally… well… ‘out’...” Don chuckled at the euphemism. “Well I can finally come out of the closet then, huh?” Connor laughed. “Guess so. I haven’t either, so it’s a nice crushing feeling we can feel together. Pairs well with a Merlot wine.” Don laughed. “I guess we can be together even in shame.” Connor got up and kissed Don before grabbing the picture. “I’m going to hide this somewhere in my room. Love ya babe, just as much now as I did then.” Don grinned. “Love you too. Oh, what did Mikey say?” Connor froze and turned around. Sitting back down, he sighed. “He couldn’t figure out anything relating to Raph. Leo won’t care, because he’s pretty much in the same situation, and Splinter will just need to be spoon-fed.” 

Don nodded. “I get it. Alright, still need to come up with something for that romantic dinner, huh?” Connor smiled. “I have some ideas, but it’s still almost two weeks until Valentine’s Day. So, we shall see. First, the Super Bowl. Also, I have to check on my laptop. It’s been stress testing for like 45 minutes now, I need to see how hot it’s gotten.” Don smiled. “Okay, babe. Love ya.” “Love ya too, babe,” Connor replied with a chuckle. The human then walked out of the lab, going to his room to look at the output. Over the past 45 minutes, the temperature of the processor only reached a high of 72 degrees Celsius, which wasn’t too hot. “Well, it’s dropped 15 degrees in me just doing that,” Connor said to himself. Turning off the stress test, the fan cooled the processor down back to 41 degrees Celsius, the normal idle temperature for the laptop. 

Pleased, Connor closed the program and left the laptop on. Leaving the door open, he opened Spotify and scrolled through his playlists. “French rap… no… Dutch rap… no… hardcore… no… no… HAHA!” Connor clicked on the artist Feed Me. He was in the mood for some electro house kind of thing at the moment. He pressed play on “Grand Theft Ecstasy” and turned the volume up. He was totally into the music when Leo stood in the doorway. Connor looked over and paused the music. “What’s up?” Leo chuckled. “You didn’t even notice me there for like a minute. I just walked by and heard your music playing.” Connor relaxed a bit. “Oh, okay. Thought you were coming up to punish me or something, ha. So, what’s up?” Leo shook his head. “Nothing really. Just wanted to talk to you.” Connor scooted over on the bed, patting his hand down on it. Leo accepted the gesture and sat down. 

“What did you need to talk about, Leo?” The turtle then paused for a second. “I have a question, and I don’t want you to take it the wrong way.” Connor then raised an eyebrow. “Uhh.. sure. Shoot.” “Please don’t be about Don, please don’t be about Don” was all Connor could think. Leo breathed in and out slowly, trying to figure out how to word his question. “Are you… in a relationship with Don, Connor? Not judging you if so, but I just had a feeling.” Connor froze. “How could you figure it out? First Mikey, then you. It’s almost like an open secret now.” Leo chuckled. “I am the leader of our team, remember. Mikey just happens to read minds almost… Anyway. You two seem like a great fit together, you know that?” Connor blushed. “Mikey said that last night. Almost like you and Usagi being a perfect fit together.” Leo laughed. “I guess we are. Also, another quick question, if you don’t mind.” 

Connor nodded. “What did Mikey steal from you last night? You seemed awfully pissed about it.” The human laughed in response as he pulled his nightstand drawer open. Leo saw him pull out a box of condoms and lube. “This is what he stole from me last night. You can probably figure out why I was pissed.” Leo nodded. “Yeah, he probably ruined any mood you guys were getting into. Did you have sex with him last night?” Connor nodded. “I hope I don’t have to go into too many details.” Leo shook his head. “Nope, no details needed. I can probably figure it out. Anyway, I’m happy for you guys. You seem like you really love each other.” Connor laughed. “Hang on, I’ve got another surprise.” He went back into his nightstand and grabbed the drawing Mikey gave to him earlier. “Did Mikey draw this?” Leo asked. Connor nodded. “This was us earlier this morning. He watched us kissing for like a minute straight before coming down the stairs.” Leo laughed. “Sounds like Mikey. He did stuff like that to me when Usagi was here before.” 

Connor laughed before becoming slightly pensive. “I’ve got a question, Leo.” The turtle replied with a short “Go ahead.” “How will we tell Raph about this? He’s the only one left without a relationship, and Mikey told me that he possibly had feelings for Don before.” Leo thought. “I guess we all need to think of something. I’ll talk to Mikey and Don and see. I just don’t want to him go into full rage mode and direct it toward you, for obvious reasons.” Connor just cringed. “I know I can run pretty much anywhere in the New York metro area with my car, but he’ll be on my tail with his bike like a shadow if I did. He’ll be all depressed and shit and take it out on entirely the wrong people, take it out on all of you for something that was deeply locked in his mind for most likely years. Hmm… I might have an idea..” 

Leo’s eyes perked up. “What are you thinking?” Connor laughed. “This might sound stupid, but it might work. If we get Raph piss drunk, he might open up about things like that unwittingly. Yes, it’s behind his back in a way, and he is completely inebriated, but it’ll maybe work.” Leo chuckled. “He has a crazy tolerance. That won’t work, he’s close-lipped even when stumbling around.” Connor hung his head down. “It was an okay idea though.” Leo laughed. “Sure it was, but this is Raph we’re talking about. With him, you have to get to the point. So, I’ll think about it. I can tell you were nervous about me finding out, huh?” Connor nodded in reply. 

“Yeah, I was, honestly. Just the whole… telling people thing. It’s weirdly terrifying.” Leo chuckled. “Of course it is. Anyway, I’m also here for another reason. Nothing grilling or anything. I just want to listen to some music. Can I do that?” Connor nodded. “Sure, course you can. Keyboard and mouse are over there, and just look up whatever songs you want to listen to through Spotify. I’ve gotta go talk to Don, obviously. Feel free to take however long you want.” Leo nodded as Connor walked out of his room, sighing. That was an awful lot easier than he expected it to be.

He walked into Don’s lab, visibly relaxed. The turtle was at his computer with headphones on, obviously listening to something. Connor reached over his chair and started to rub the turtle’s shoulders. Don jerked in response. “Who the fuck??”, he stammered out, dropping his headphones on the floor. “Babe, chill out, it’s me.” Don breathed in and out a couple of times, laughing. “You scared the shit out of me…” Connor laughed. 

“I didn’t mean to. Just wanted to share some news.” Don’s eyes perked up. “Let me guess, Leo found out.” Connor nodded. “Guess it was an educated guess kind of thing. He wasn’t surprised. Also, he’s joined the ‘Try-to-tell-it-to-Raph-without-him-being-the-Hulk’ task force.” Don laughed. “Yeah, okay. Also, you look a lot less nervous now. Guess you were freaking out about Leo?” “Yep, I was. Good thing that’s over with. Now only 2 more to go, huh babe?” The turtle smiled. “Strike one. Two more, and we’re out.” Connor laughed and straddled Don. “I guess we need to strike out then.” The human then leaned in with a pair of gray eyes, and Don met him for a kiss. They both went deeper into it, tongues tasting each other. While that happened, however, the two didn’t notice the door to the lab opening and a certain temperamental turtle walking in. 

“Hey Don... do you have any…” Raph froze when he caught a glimpse of the two teenagers. Don and Connor broke apart quickly at the sight of the red-banded turtle. Raph just started laughing. “This is what you were tryin’ ta hide from me for the past two days?” The two teenagers nodded. Connor started the conversation stammering. “Yeah… we... uh… I think you get it.” Raph chuckled. “Ya guys love each other now. I figured something like that would happen, ta be honest. Just never expected to find out this quickly.” Don laughed. “Us either. We thought we had to go all sneaky behind your back and drop the details in little bits and pieces.” Raph shook his head. “Nah, it’s all good now. Connor paused for a second. “Raph, I have a question.” Raph’s eyes perked up. “Uh, sure. What is it?” “Mikey said you possibly had feelings for Don before. Is that true?” Raph laughed. “Nope. Just for a while there, I was awfully close with him. I think that confused Mikey a bit.” Don sighed. “Thank fuck…” 

Raph continued after pausing for a second. “I’m straight, unlike most of you guys around here. Just can’t see myself being with a guy, you know? Doesn’t mean I’m disgusted with ya guys or anything, I just personally can’t get into it with a guy.” Connor nodded. “I guess so. Well, that makes our lives easier, that’s for sure.” Don smiled. “Yeah Raph, thanks for not being the homophobic piece of shit we expected you to be.” One of Raph’s eye ridges rose. “I’ve been living with ya guys for how long? I think I’ve gotten used to ya guys liking other guys. It’s fine, I have nothing against it.” The two lovers then visibly eased. “So, Raph, what did you need again?”, asked Don. Raph thought for a moment. “Oh, only a 16mm socket and a ratchet. The bolts on Sensei’s chair started ta come loose again.”

Don thought. “Hmm, I don’t have anything in here… all of the tools are in the garage.” Connor got up off of the turtle and piped up. “You can borrow some of my tools, Raph. They’re up in the garage. You also might need some threadlocker if they’re coming undone again.” Raph chuckled. “To the Connor-mobile we go!” Connor chuckled as he left the lab with Raph, heading towards the elevator. “Hang on a second, Raph,” Connor said as he ducked into his room. Raph didn’t question it. Connor looked at Leo, who paused his music. “You don’t need to worry about Raph anymore. He found out…” Leo laughed. “Okay, good to know. Should I tell Mikey?” “Please do. He’s been thinking about this all morning.” Leo left the room and walked down the stairs, as Connor rejoined Raph. “What was that about?”, Raph asked. Connor chuckled. “Leo found out about us like ten minutes before you did. I had to fill him in a bit. He also was listening to some music in my room.”

Raph nodded. “Sounds about right. Anyway, weren’t we going up?” Connor nodded as he pushed the elevator button. The doors opened, and the two stepped in. “So, how long have you guys been together?”, Raph asked. Connor blushed. “Well… formally… only two days. But Don said he’s had thoughts in his head about me since I showed up.” Raph shook his head, trying to get a clearer picture. “Two days? Damn.” Connor chuckled. “Last night, I started all of this when we were leaving the junkyard. Don had no nuts to say he loved me or anything, so I crawled over into his lap and started kissing him. He got the picture then, that’s for sure.” Raph laughed at the imagery. “Yeah, he takes a little bit to actually get something. What did you guys do last night?” 

Connor stuttered. “Well… I was about to fuck him before I found out that Mikey went into my room and stole my lube and condoms. So, I had to chase him down in the sewers before he admitted that he knew about us and that he wasn’t trying to ruin my night.” Raph waved his hands in the air. “Okay, okay I get it. Too much information.” Connor laughed. “Leo was a witness to the whole thing, it was pretty funny.” Leo chuckled. “Mikey needed a wake-up call. He stole some of my porn mags from my room once and ripped pages out and posted them everywhere. Imagine opening the fridge and seeing two chicks taking a double-ended dildo. Splinter saw that.” Connor started laughing, only stopping at the doors opening at the garage. 

Walking over to the workbench, Connor started to talk again. “Also, you know I’m not gay, right?” Raph started to cough, unable to believe that. “Wait, what?” Connor chuckled. “I’m bisexual. I swing both ways. So I would probably be whacking it to that ripped out page of that porn mag, to be honest. Also, Don’s bi too. He says he’s open to whoever likes him, and that’s me.” Raph nodded. “I guess it makes sense. So, what does that mean between ya two?” “Nothing, really. Just if a hot girl walks by on the sidewalk you’ll probably catch us both looking.” Raph started laughing. “It’s so hard not ta, no matter who ya like.” Connor started to laugh again while grabbing the socket, ratchet, and medium-strength blue threadlocker. “Well, I have your tools, ready to go back?”

Raph nodded. “Sure, I guess I am. Ya need any help with anything?” Connor shook his head. “A couple of my problems today were solved with a little bit of help and fear.” Raph laughed. “I guess I was the fear, huh?” Connor’s face flushed. “Man, I thought you were going to find out and beat the shit out of me for stealing your crush or something. It wasn’t a great thought.” Raph laughed. “I’m not that horrible, I swear. Anyway, let’s go back down.” The two then walked back to the elevator, with Raph holding the tools. “So, Raph…” “Hmm?” “You don’t have any hard feelings about Don and I being together at all?” Raph shook his head. “None at all. Ya guys seem great together. Now, I just need ta figure out how ta get a girl. All of you guys have someone now except me.” 

Connor chuckled in reply. “Well at least you don’t have to come out about it or anything.” Raph laughed. “Yeah, I sure as hell don’t.” Raph pushed the button to the elevator and the doors opened. A minute later, the doors opened to the lair. “Hey, you need help with that chair?” Raph nodded. “I need someone to help me flip it over.” “Okay, I can help do that.” The two walked down the stairs and into the living room, where the recliner was sitting crooked. Raph tipped the chair forward, and Connor grabbed the backrest at the bottom. Setting the chair on its side, it took one more lift-and-set move to get it fully upside down. “I think I got it from here, Connor. Thanks for the help.” “No problem, just put the tools back whenever.” 

Connor then walked back up the stairs, heading to his room. He poked his head in, Leo was still sitting there listening to music. He walked into the room and flopped down on the bed. “What are you even listening to, Leo?” Leo paused the music and chuckled. “Kishi Bashi. He’s like an indie pop electronica artist.” Connor scrunched his face a bit. “Play some more.” The song “Chester’s Burst Over the Hamptons” came through the speakers. Connor’s face didn’t change. “This is weird, Leo. Never expected you to listen to stuff like this. Thought you’d be more into like alternative rock or something.” Leo chuckled. “If you have any suggestions, feel free.” Connor laughed as he took the keyboard, putting on an album from Quietdrive. 

“Give this a try,” Connor commented before getting back up. “I gotta go do something real quick. Don’t break anything.” Leo chuckled. “I’m not Mikey.” “I can’t trust any of you besides Don and Raph because they can at least fix what they break.” Leo started laughing before Connor headed to Don’s lab. Walking in, Don had his headphones back on. Connor didn’t go to scare him, instead standing next to the turtle. Don remained mesmerized by the computer before Connor started. “Babe,” he said before the turtle looked over and took his headphones off. Connor squatted down, pretending to be a baseball umpire. He caught a fake ball and called out “SSTTTRRIIIKKKEEEEE TTTWWOOOO!” Don laughed. “I guess so. I just wish he caught us at a better time, huh?” Connor shook his head. “It could have been way worse, us kissing here versus say, him walking in on us having sex…” Don chuckled. “I guess you’re right, it could have been way worse.” “Alright babe, I gotta do some shit. I love you.” Don nodded. “Love you too. Oh, what are we going to do with Splinter?” Connor stopped and thought. “Lay it on him during dinner. He probably won’t care as long as we’re happy.” Don hummed and hawed for a second. “Yeah, that sounds alright. He probably already has a suspicion anyway.” 

Connor nodded and then walked out of the lab, heading toward the living room. Splinter was watching a soap opera on the main screen, as Raph and Mikey split the second to get in a game of Mario Kart. Connor just stopped and looked at the scene going on before him, before sitting on the couch, closer to Splinter. The rat looked over and smiled. “Hello, son. How has your day been?” Connor chuckled. “It’s been okay, you could say. I’ve had to tear apart my laptop, which wasn’t that great.” Splinter simply looked at the TV and continued the conversation. “What for? I presume it was working before.” Connor shook his head. “It simply overheated. There was some dust in it that clogged up the fan.” Splinter nodded. “I understand, I can never seem to comprehend what Donatello says when he is talking about some sort of device. I can only just hope whatever he makes works.” Connor laughed. “I guess I’m on translator duty now?” 

The rat quietly chuckled. “Well, that is one way to phrase it. If you can help me out with that sort of thing, that would be great. Also, I do have to ask, how are you so adept at simplifying things like that?” Connor laughed. “My dad is the same way. He never really got into computers or anything back when they first came out, so he was always behind the curve, to say the least. He now knows at least how to pay his bills online, watch videos, and email people. That’s all he really needs to do online anyway.” Splinter smiled. “I also can assume you have your little tips and tricks in teaching things. I look forward to it, son.” Connor chuckled. “Thanks, sensei. What are you watching, by the way?” The rat looked back at the TV. “I’m watching ‘Dallas’, a show about a family in the Texas oil industry. I don’t think you will find it that interesting, to be honest.” Connor laughed. “Try me. I watch videos about computer parts, mostly a series of numbers being thrown around.” Splinter chuckled. “I guess dramas are a little more entertaining to most.” Connor thought for a second.

“You know, I might have a show you might like. Do you have Netflix?” The rat nodded. “Feel free to change it over, I believe it’s somewhere on this TV.” Connor grabbed the Roku remote and pushed the Netflix button. It automatically signed into Netflix, with five profiles opening up. He clicked on the “Splinter” profile, and he searched for “Orange Is the New Black”. “Have you ever seen this show, sensei?” Splinter shook his head. “It’s new to me.” Connor grinned. “You might like it. It’s one of my favorites. It revolves around the main character, who goes to a women’s prison for crimes she has committed in the past. It relates to a lot of social tension in modern society, and struggles many face in it as well.” Splinter’s whiskers twitched a bit. “Sounds interesting, I shall give it a try.” Connor shook his head as he pressed play on the first episode. The poor rat didn’t know what he was getting into, which was the best part. “This damn show is like crack in video form…” Connor thought to himself as he watched the show with Splinter. 

After about ten minutes, Leo came out of Connor’s room, done with listening to music. He looked around upstairs, and couldn’t find the human. He poked his head into Don’s lab. “Hey Don, have you seen Connor anywhere?” Don shook his head. “He left here… he’s probably in the living room.” Leo nodded as he backed out. “Thanks.” “No problem!” Don called back. Going down the stairs, the blue-banded turtle looked around. Splinter and Connor were both entranced in the TV as Leo shook his head. “I tried not to turn him onto that, Connor.” The human started laughing as the turtle got closer. “This show is like crack, isn’t it?” Leo chuckled. “Can I talk to you?” Connor got up off the couch and followed Leo back to his room. “What’s going on?” Leo put his hand on his forehead. “What are you guys going to do about Splinter?” Connor chuckled. “Don’t worry, Don and I plan on telling him during dinner tonight. Get it over with.” 

Leo exhaled after hearing that. “That’ll help, not holding it back behind him. He probably can figure something’s going on anyway.” Connor chuckled. “Okay, now that your anxiety attack has stopped, can we go watch some ‘thinly veiled lesbian porn with some backstory’ together?” Leo laughed. “That is pretty much the entirety of Orange, that’s for sure. Why not? Seemed like Splinter was enjoying it. It’s also quite a take from what he normally watches, which is good.” Connor then walked out his room, and Leo followed closing the door behind him. The two then walked down the stairs, sitting on the couch. Splinter looked over, glad to see Leo back. “Leonardo, have you come to join us?” Leo chuckled. “I guess I have, Father. I love this show, although it’s horribly addictive.” Splinter laughed. “I can tell. I can’t stop watching…” 

The human and the blue-banded turtle started to laugh before quieting down and watching the show. For once, they all acted like a family, even for something as small as watching television.


	8. Euphoria

* * *

RECOMMENDED LISTENING: 

Make Sum Shake - Cool Amerika

Basically the theme song of Magic City, the premier Atlanta strip club that runs the entire Southern hip-hop industry. 

omega - vowl.

A trap song with some weird atmospheric 90s-like vibes. Connor likes this song, reminds him of his childhood in a way.

Getaway - Crockett

Synthwave song with a very 80s-like theme to it, running from the cops while most likely coked up.

* * *

* * *

Thursday, February 1, 2018, 6:24 PM

* * *

The smell of fried pork and curry filled the kitchen, as Mikey and Master Splinter finished cooking dinner. Connor had to pipe up at the table. “So, what are we eating, exactly?” Leo chuckled. “It’s called tonkatsu. Basically a fried breaded pork chop. Also on the side is curry rice, basically the Japanese version of an Indian-type curry.” Connor nodded. “Sounds delicious.” Leo nodded. “Also, I think Father’s making miso soup too. You’ll probably like it.” As food started coming to the table, Connor had to let go of Don’s hand for the moment, for obvious reasons. Don whimpered quietly, but stopped when Splinter walked in. 

Connor started to salivate at the food in front of him. MIkey sat down at the table, ready to dig in. “Mikey, thanks for remembering I need a fork this time,” Connor said with a chuckle. Mikey nodded. “How could I forget? You having to run into the kitchen for one last time was enough.” Connor hung his head down. “One of you guys need to teach me how to use chopsticks. If I tried now, I’d flail them around, possibly turning them into an accidental weapon flying through the air or something.” Raph laughed. “I doubt that. You’d have to try to be that bad.” Connor shook his head. “I guess you don’t know me then…” 

Raph chuckled in reply. “Course I do.” Connor took a spoonful of the soup and blew on it before sipping it. “Wow, this is so good!” Splinter smiled. “Thank you, my son. It’s an original recipe straight from Japan.” Connor laughed. “I guess this the same reaction you guys gave me yesterday morning towards my food, huh?” Mikey and Leo nodded. “Well, this food is delicious too, thank you both.” Mikey and Splinter both smiled. Splinter piped up in the conversation. “So, my sons, do any of you have something to talk about?” 

Connor put his hand up as he finished a bite of the tonkatsu. “Don and I do.” The turtle looked over to Connor in fear, but Connor turned his eyes gray to appease Don before continuing. “Sensei, we are in a relationship now. Everyone else has figured it out, much to our surprise. I know you’re not one for keeping secrets, so there’s that. I personally don’t expect you to go to an extreme either way in terms of emotion about this, but I thought you would want to know.” Don nodded. “Also, we thought you probably had some sort of suspicion something was going on, Father. You are the ninja master and all, so we don’t expect to really hide anything from you.” 

Master Splinter sat at the table and thought. “Well, my sons, if it makes you both happy, do as you please. And Donatello, you were correct about my thoughts. When Connor first showed up, I could instantly feel that you two would be bonded together in a romantic sense. So you two telling me this now is no surprise to me. Plus, it is my job as a father to keep my sons happy. Connor, I did notice how your mood was much better throughout the day today than yesterday... If being in a relationship with Donatello makes you that pleased, I can’t object at all. As I have said before, please try not to involve me in any sort of matter relating to it, of course.” 

Connor chuckled. “No need to worry about that, sensei. We’ll try to keep it all behind closed doors, as is common sense. I hate those people that make out in public, too.” Splinter smiled in response. “Really?” Connor nodded. “Remember, I well… was in high school. People would be kissing each other in the hallways, stopping up foot traffic. It got tiring rather quickly.” Splinter smiled. “I would assume so. I am afraid I am not quite acquainted with the American school system.” Connor growled a bit. “I have a lot of horror stories, if you want to listen to them, of course.” Splinter shook his head. “I am afraid I would not want to.” Don chuckled in response. “I can probably figure it’s a lot less ‘High School Musical’ than you would expect.” 

Connor took a bite of the curry-topped rice and just froze. Leo just watched. “Connor, you okay?” “This curry is so good…” He grabbed another big bite of the rice and just smiled. “How come you guys have to spoil me so much?” All of the members at the table laughed, and Raph responded. “You spoiled us all for breakfast. I think the flipside is just as good.” The human nodded. “It’s great!” Not even three minutes later, he cleaned all of his food off the plate. “Guys, I’ll do the dishes tonight. It’s payment for how much you guys put up with me.” He set his plate and bowl in the sink and then sat back down at the table. 

The rest of the dinner was lighthearted as conversation flowed. Connor was thinking about how to get a romantic dinner together for Don. His eyes widened as he had come across the same thought he had before. “Excuse me guys, I need to do something real quick,” Connor called as he went up the stairs, heading towards the elevator. Opening the doors, the human stepped in and disappeared. Leo was confused. “What do you think that was all about?” Don shrugged. “He had an idea about something. Once he has it, he tends to lose it unless he does something about it.”

Connor ran into the garage as the doors to the elevator closed behind him. He jogged over to his car, opening the passenger’s side door. Sitting down, he mumbled “Where the fuck is that damn napkin?” He opened the glove box and dug around in it. “Haha, there it is!” he said aloud. Pulling open his phone, he dialed the number scrawled on the napkin in blotted blue ink. “He’s still even got a damn Atlanta number…” Connor thought as the phone started to ring. He put his phone up to his ear, and on the third ring, Bankhead picked up. “Yo, who dis?”, the man asked. Connor chuckled. “Yo, Bankhead, this is Gainesville.” “YOOO MY BOY!” the man on the other side of the phone bellowed out. “Haha, yeah it’s me. I know you don’t know me worth a shit, but I need a favor.” 

“Uh yeh. I can do a favor. Whatchu need?” “I’ve got a question first. Do you live in an apartment anywhere in the boroughs?” “Yeh, I do, in the Bronx. Why you askin’?’ “Well, I’ll need to borrow it for 18 hours. For me and a certain special someone, if you catch my drift. I’ll even pay you, how about that?” Bankhead started laughing. “Well, sheeyit. What day you talkin’ ‘bout?” “I’m thinking the eleventh. You think you can do that?” Bankhead paused for a second, thinking. “Yeh, I guess I could. I got someone I could crash with. How much ya talkin’ ‘bout for all dis?” “Well, how about fifty bucks and I clean the place up for you. How does that sound?” 

“Make it seventy-five and we gotta deal. Niggas gotta make some shake somehow, nigga.” Connor chuckled at the nickname. He’s apparently already at that level with Bankhead, which was pretty funny. “You referencing the Cool Amerika song, man?” Bankhead laughed. “Ya got tha reference? I fuckin’ love that song.” “Yeah, I like it too. How about you text me your address and I’ll meet you there on the eleventh at 6 PM.” Bankhead agreed. “Aight. You better not be fuckin’ with me, ya hear?” Connor laughed. “I, Gainesville, swear by my lily white Irish ass that I’m not fucking with you.” 

Bankhead started laughing. “Aight, I’ll shoot ya the address. See ya later, Gainesville.” “Alright, bye Bankhead.” He hung up the phone and sighed, glad that was done. The elevator dinged and out of it walked Raph. “What’s up, Connor? You just fuckin’ dipped.” Connor laughed. “You remember the parking attendant from when we picked up my car?” “Yeah, what about him?” “Well, I just bagged his apartment for 18 hours so I can surprise Don for Valentine’s Day.” Raph’s eyes widened. “Really? Damn Connor, you’re good. When is this?” “The eleventh going into the twelfth. Also, please don’t you fucking dare tell Don.” Raph chuckled. “I won’t. Also, what about the other surprise?” “Oth.. Oh. It says it’ll be ready for pickup Monday. I just gotta figure out how to get all those mods in the van before the eleventh. A two-pronged attack, per se.” His phone buzzed. “Oh, and there’s the address. Fuck yeah.”

Raph laughed. “Man, I still can’t believe you got that to work.” Connor chuckled. “Me either, to be honest. I guess it’s just that we relate or something. Anyway, I’m going back down. I had to make that phone call in peace, make it look like I was alone. Also, I guess we’re friends now.” Raph looked confused. “How so?” The human laughed. “He called me ‘nigga’. In Atlanta, that term is saved for like actual friends or people you know, not any person on the street. Also, I’m white, so there’s that.” Raph laughed. “That man is a… specimen... that’s for damn sure.” 

Connor froze. “I think I just solved our problem…” Raph looked at the human in curiosity. “How?” Connor chuckled. “Maybe when I’m out with Don, you can install all of the mods. I know you have the skill to.” Raph stared at the wall for a second. “I mean, I could. Ya know, that sounds like an okay idea.” “You think 15 hours without him would be enough? Since I’m going to get Bankhead’s apartment ready and start cooking before I tell him to meet me at like nine or whatever.” Raph nodded. “Just to do a cam job, and some other things? Sure, that should be enough.” Connor chuckled. “Also, I can maybe help you through text if I can sneak off to the bathroom or something.” Raph shook his head. “No need. Most of this stuff is pretty self-explanatory. Hardest part is getting the motor out, and that even isn’t too bad.” 

Connor started laughing again. “I guess this is going to be way easier than I expected, isn’t it.” Raph smiled. “I guess it is. Now, all we need to do is wait. Also, are you excited to teach April tomorrow?” Connor nodded. “She’s going to have so much fun. My problem isn’t the stunt driving, it’s the stick driving. I want my clutch to stay in one piece.” The turtle then laughed. “Yeah, well at least she’s learning in the Escort and not something else.” Connor smirked. “That’s true. I’m just not looking forward to dropping my transmission anytime soon.” The human started walking toward the elevator, and Raph followed, asking a question. “So, Connor, what do you plan on doing with Don?” The human chuckled in reply. “What do you think? Feed him then fuck him, pretty much. Add some relaxation in there somewhere for good measure.” 

The red-banded turtle started laughing. “You do have a way with words… ‘feed him then fuck him’...” Connor chuckled a bit. “What else do you want me to say?” Raph shook his head. “Nothing really.” The turtle then pressed the button for the elevator, and the doors opened. The two stepped in and slowly fell to the lair. Connor started laughing for no reason. “You okay?”, Raph asked. “Couldn’t be any better. I’m just excited.” Raph smiled. “I don’t know what it feels like, but you seem really happy.” “Because I am. All of this is going to be so much fun.” The doors opened and Connor stopped being as exuberant as he was. Walking into the kitchen, he started on the dishes. Getting hot water through the tap, he put some dish soap in his hands and scrubbed every dish down, rinsing it and setting it on the drainer. Don walked over to Connor and hugged him. “Were you running away from me?” Connor shook his head. “No, babe. I just had to do something real quick. Needed to get something from my car.” 

Don rested his chin on Connor’s shoulder as the human started to wash the utensils. “Is what you were doing in the garage related to our romantic night out?” Connor chuckled. “Maybe it is, maybe it isn’t. Who knows.” Don laughed. “Well, if you don’t want to tell me that’s fine. I’ll chalk it up to a surprise.” Connor leaned his head over to touch Don’s. “Don’t worry about it, babe. I got it. Trust me.” Don took his head off the human’s shoulder as the last of the dishes were washed, starting to walk away. Connor then backed away from the sink, and flung water towards Don, getting it all over the turtle. Don started to growl in the back of his throat. “You’re going to pay for that…” Connor laughed. “Oh nooo! What is a human to do with a sexy turtle intending on punishing him?” The turtle then picked up Connor and slung him over his shoulder. “I’m going to tell you exactly what I’m intending to do. Involves you, me, and the rest of the night.” Don started to walk up the stairs with the human still over his shoulder, trying to see what was going on. 

Connor started to speak. “Okay babe, let me down. I need to prep myself before we start doing anything major.” Don nodded as he set the human down. Connor went into the bathroom as Don went into the human’s room and reclined on the bed. He took off his gear and set it on the floor, grabbing the keyboard and putting it on the desk. Connor walked out of the bathroom and into his room, seeing the stripped-down turtle. His eyes immediately changed color at the sight of Don on his bed, his brown eyes staring into his now-gray ones. He quickly closed the door and locked it behind him, stripping down to match his lover’s state of undress. Don could only start to salivate as Connor got on the bed, grinning. The human then sat down next to Don, resting his head on the turtle’s chest. “Are you still going to try that domination stuff again?” Don shook his head. “Not tonight. It was fun earlier, wasn’t it?” “It was fun, but I still find it kind of weird for you of all people to be dominant in anything.” 

Don chuckled. “It felt weird for me too. How about we just be lovers tonight, and maybe over this weekend we can get into that whole thing again?” Connor nodded. “Sounds great.” He then pulled himself up on top of Don, leaning over to meet his lips with the turtle’s. Don wasn’t surprised, he just pulled Connor closer to his chest. The two’s tongues locked together, tasting each other and dancing around. Connor tapped on Don’s chest, signaling he was about to pull away. He did, and leaned over to the nightstand. Opening the drawer, he pulled out Mikey’s drawing. “I think that this deserves a spot somewhere in this room.” Don chuckled. “I do have a frame for it... “ “Do you really want to go to your lab like this?” The turtle shook his head. “No, that wouldn’t be the best idea.” 

Connor laughed. “I’ll just set it here for now. Also, I think this is our room now. Yours is tiny compared to this one...” Don thought for a second. “You know what… moving in with you sounds like a great idea.” Connor smiled before leaning back in for a kiss. Don accepted, and the two kissed for what felt like not long enough before separating. Connor licked his lips. “I can’t get enough of you babe.” The turtle laughed. “Love is one hell of a drug, isn’t it? More addictive than heroin, more uplifting than cocaine. Pure euphoria. They could make a killing bottling it.” Connor grinned before leaning in for another kiss. “I think I’m addicted, babe… might need a higher dose…” Don smiled before meeting Connor’s lips yet again. 

The two held each other like that for at least five minutes before breaking apart. Connor kissed Don quickly before nipping at his chin. Don moaned at that move, while Connor licked down the turtle’s carotid artery. The human then kissed down the ridge of Don’s plastron, which made the turtle start to pant. “Babe, please…”, he moaned out. The tip of Don’s cock poked out of the slit, and Connor moved his tongue over the area. Don shuddered a bit before fully dropping out, much to Connor’s surprise. The human chuckled in response to the sudden amount of cock in his face, continuing the oral attack. He swirled his tongue around the base of Don’s member before zig zagging and working his way up. Don started to churr at the amount of pleasure that was coursing through his system, which Connor blushed at. The sound of Don churring made him groan as he worked his mouth around the turtle. 

Sliding Don’s member slowly into his mouth, Connor started working himself back and forth, sliding his head forward and back slowly. Don continued to churr as he did so, which made Connor look up and smile internally. After about two minutes of working back and forth, Don’s cock was dripping. Don looked up and saw Connor about to sit down on him. “Aren’t you forgetting something, babe?” The human shook his head. “When I was in the bathroom, I already took care of it. Thought it might help.” Don bit his lip as Connor slowly slid down on his member. “Ahhh, fuck babe. You feel sooo good in me.”, Connor moaned. Don started to churr again as he felt the insides of his lover work around him, spreading silk-like warmth throughout his member. Connor’s head flew back as he moaned. “Ahhhh… damn babe. You feel so good…” Don churred out. Connor grinned. “Babe, I have an idea. How about we flip around, you on top. Missionary position.” Don smiled as he grabbed the human and slowly sat up, kneeling before placing Connor on the pillows. 

Connor smirked as he wrapped his legs around Don, pulling him in further. Don caught the drift and started pushing into his lover, starting to rock back and forth. He continued the churring as Connor moaned every time the turtle went in and out. “Ah, Don… fuck… babe… more!” Connor bellowed out as Don sped up, going a bit deeper every time. After about thirty seconds, he started to bottom himself out. “Babe, I’m all the way in!” Don exclaimed. Connor could only continue moaning, his thoughts clouded entirely by the turtle above him. Don churred as he continued to drive in and out of Connor, eventually starting to shudder. “Babe, I’m about to cum,” Don growled. Connor grinned. “Go inside.” Don did so as he stroked Connor’s member, causing them to both blow at the same time. 

They sat there for a second, just taking in the moment. Don didn’t pull out of Connor, who started to regain some form of consciousness. “Babe…. Fuck. You are wonderful, you know that?”, the human asked. Don laughed. “You too, babe. Now, can I pull out?” Connor shook his head. “I want you to stay in me for a bit. Feels nice.” The turtle chuckled. “Okay, babe. I’ll wait.” He then leaned down to kiss Connor, which the human pulled him further into. After about a minute or so, they separated. “You can pull out now, babe,” Connor breathed out. Don did so slowly, careful not to rip himself out. He then laid next to Connor, wrapping his arm behind the human’s neck. “You know what?”, he asked. Connor looked over. “What, babe?” “I’d like to be the bottom for round two, if that’s okay with you.” The human’s still-gray eyes widened. “You sure?” Don nodded. “I am one hundred percent sure. It looks like it feels great for you, I might as well give it a try.” 

Connor chuckled. “Okay, babe, you know what... Sure, I can top you. I do have one question though, and don’t laugh. When’s the last time you went to the bathroom?” Don snorted a bit. “About two hours ago, why?” Connor blushed. “Well, it’s so you still have room in there. Don’t want to run into a roadblock.” Don laughed. “Could you have phrased it any better?” Connor shook his head. “I doubt I could, honestly. I did try, though.” Don leaned over and kissed the human who laid next to him. “I’m ready, what about you?” Connor looked down at his now-limp cock. “Do you guys not have a refractory period?” The turtle shook his head. “We don’t… You guys must have it bad.” Connor laughed. “It’s not that bad, you just have to wait about ten minutes or whatever to have another go. I do know some ways we can pass the time, though.” 

Connor then straddled Don and leaned in for another kissing session. The two started together again, making out slowly and deliberately. Before long, Connor was ready for another round. He tapped on Don before breaking the kiss. “I’m ready. So, what you need to do is get in the same position I was in yesterday, on all fours.” Don nodded. “You going to prep me?” “I am. I know what I am doing, after all. Don’t want to get any dry spots or anything.” Don then sat up, getting onto all fours on the bed, shaking a bit. Connor rubbed his shoulder. “No need to worry about anything, babe. It won’t be painful, and I’ll make sure I stretch you out enough.” Don visibly relaxed after Connor said that. “Okay, go ahead. I’m still a little nervous though. I’ve never done anything anal before.” Connor continued to rub his shoulder a couple of times, before grabbing the lube. “Tail up, babe.” Don flicked his tail up and Connor took the bottle and turned it upside down, dripping slippery goop all over Don’s entrance. “Jesus, that shit is cold…” Connor laughed. “Now you know why I said that last night. Don’t worry, it’ll warm up in a second.” Connor then put some more lube onto his index finger, ready to press into his lover. 

“You ready, babe?”, Connor asked. Don nodded. “Sure am.” Connor smiled as he slowly pressed his index finger into his lover. Don squirmed a bit. “It feels weird…” Connor paused. “Can I keep going?” “Sure, but slowly. I still need to get used to the sensation.” The human slowly worked his finger in, going knuckle by knuckle. “Well, babe, that’s one finger. How are you feeling?” Don smiled. “Feels fine. I think I’m ready for a second.” Connor smiled as he slowly worked his finger out, lubing up his middle finger now. He worked the two into Don’s entrance slowly, careful to watch how Don reacted. “That’s definitely wider. I still don’t know about the feeling, though. Guess I have to get used to it.” Connor chuckled. “That’s the point, babe.” He worked the two fingers in, feeling around for Don’s prostate. When the turtle’s body quivered, he knew he hit the spot. “What the fuck was that?”, Don asked. “That was your prostate. Also referred to as the male G-spot. Feels great when I touch it, right?” Don quivered again as Connor rubbed on Don’s prostate. “Fu..fuck yeah it does. I’m about to blow right now.” Connor laughed. “Okay, you’re ready. You can lay down on the bed on your back.” 

The turtle did so, laying down where he was previously before Connor asked him a question. “Babe, do you want me to use one of these condoms? They actually fit me.” Don nodded. “I would like that, please do.” Connor nodded and opened the box. He ripped one of the condoms off the chain, and put the rest back in the box. Opening the single condom, he made sure it was the right way around before squeezing the tip and rolling it on. “You ready, babe?”, Connor asked yet again. Don nodded. “I couldn’t be ever more ready.” Connor chuckled as he tipped the lube into his hand, spreading a thick layer over his member. “Alright, I’m going to push in. Tell me if you need me to stop or you’re in pain.” 

Don nodded. “I will.” Connor then slowly pushed into the turtle, going as slow as he could. It was hard not to drive balls-deep, but self-control was of the utmost importance at the moment. Don’s eyes closed as he started to churr. “Keep going, babe…”, he moaned out. Connor then started to ease himself in some more, watching Don’s reactions to the whole situation. Don suddenly inhaled. “Can you pause, babe? I think I might need some more lube.” Connor nodded as he slowly pulled out, tipping the lube back into his hand and adding more on top of the condom. “Ready for me to go back in?” The turtle wrapped his legs around Connor and pushed him in. “There’s my answer. Please start fucking me, babe.” Connor grinned. “Okay babe, can do.” The human let his body take over at this point, as he started to drive into and out of Don. “I now understand why topping is such a big deal. God, you feel so good to be inside of, Don.” Don started to churr again, not even realizing Connor said anything until it finally registered a few seconds later. “Oh… fuck… I now know why people bottom now, too. You being inside me feels so f-fucking good, babe.” Connor grinned as he continued to pump into the churring turtle, seeing Don’s brown eyes absolutely mesmerized by pleasure in that moment. 

Connor then angled himself up, both to start hitting Don’s prostate, and to kiss him while he did so. Don kept churring as he kissed Connor, who then angled his hips a bit sharper. Don’s churring was interrupted with an “ANNNH FUCK!” as the human hit the turtle’s prostate a couple of times. Connor moaned as he continued to brush against Don’s bundle of nerves. The turtle started to shake a bit, about to reach orgasm. Connor took this as a hint to keep pounding against Don’s prostate, going fully in and out of his ass as he did so. Don tried to form words, but couldn’t as he continued to churr. 

Connor then continued the kiss with Don while he kept pounding into the turtle. A stifled cry reverberated through Connor’s chest as Don’s body started to clench and shudder, him reaching orgasm under the human. Connor continued to pump in and out, not wanting to ruin Don’s orgasm as he reached his own. “Ohhh f-fuck,” was all he could spit out before ending into Don’s clenching insides. Don finally relaxed, splaying out on the bed. He started laughing as Connor laid against his chest. “Was that what you expected it to be, babe?”, he asked the turtle. Don shook his head. “That felt way better than I was expecting. I gotta try this more often… I fucking came hands-free...” Connor laughed in reply. “I felt the same way, also to the point of jizzing all over you last night with no hands. Oh, can I pull out yet?” Don nodded. “Sure. Just go slow, my nerves are still in overdrive.” Connor eased his cock out of Don before backing up off the bed, pulling the condom off and tying it in a knot before throwing it in the trash. 

Don was still laid on the bed, seeing stars. “I guess I’m addicted to that euphoric drug now, babe. I now know how you feel… and damn does it feel great.” Connor chuckled. “I knew you’d like bottoming. Now, I’m completely wiped. 2 orgasms in a row like that is a lot for me.” He put his pair of underwear back on, now that the sex for the night was most likely done. Grabbing a tissue for Don, he went back to the bed. “Here, babe. Clean yourself off.” Don took the tissue and wiped all of his cum off his plastron. Connor sat down against Don, resting his head on the turtle’s right shoulder. Don wrapped his arm around the human, squeezing him a bit. “I love you, Connor Denton.” Connor chuckled. “I love you too, Donatello Hamato. Oh, maybe there’s something we can watch?” Don chuckled in reply. “I guess we could. What do you think?” Connor laughed at what he was about to say. “Multipass.” Don started laughing. “You got it?” “Yep, right on my computer.” 

Connor reached for the keyboard and used it to get into his laptop, opening up ‘The Fifth Element’. He double-clicked on the movie, and it started. Don and Connor got closer together, watching the movie. The speakers were doing their job well, considering Connor started tearing up when he heard Diva Plavalaguna’s opera singing. Don looked over when he blotted his eyes. “You okay, babe?” Connor nodded. “This song is just so beautiful.” Don smiled. “It is, isn’t it... I’m just glad you weren’t crying about something else.” Connor chuckled in reply. “No, I wasn’t. If I was, you would know.” Don laughed. “I love you babe, even when you cry at the Diva’s singing.” The two finished the movie a while later, and Connor shut the television and his laptop off. “I think it’s about time we go to bed, babe.”

Don smiled. “Okay, we can do that. I couldn’t wait to sleep with you… well in both the literal and figurative senses anyway. Connor smiled and kissed Don. “Me either...” Connor laid down on the bed, waiting for his lover to do the same. Don then laid down and pulled the sheets over them both. “Goodnight, Connor.”, Don said. Connor replied with a “Goodnight, Don. I love you.” “I love you too.” The two then scooted a bit closer together, with Don’s arm wrapped around Connor. Not long after, the two lovers fell asleep in each other’s presence, a warmth of comfort washing over the both of them.

* * *

Friday, February 2, 2018, 9:19 AM

* * *

Connor slowly woke up, hearing murmurs coming from downstairs. Don’s arm was still around him, which made him blush. “I love him too much,” Connor thought as he fumbled around for his phone. Turning the screen on, he looked at the time. “Nine twenty… god I thought I would be passed out until like twelve,” he continued in his thoughts. Don still laid asleep, smiling knowing that his lover was right next to him. Connor looked at the still-sleeping turtle and smiled in unison. This was a good feeling, that is for sure. Connor snuggled up closer to Don and shut his eyes, not trying to go back to sleep, but at least to soak in the moment. The turtle snored a bit before pulling the human closer to him, like some sort of living teddy bear.

For about another ten minutes, Connor just laid there next to Don, absolutely loving the feeling of being so close to the turtle. However, Don started to shift around, waking up. “Morning, babe.” Connor said as he turned around, facing the still-groggy genius. Don smiled. “Morning to you too, babe. How did you sleep?” “Great, but I woke up like ten minutes ago. You held me like a teddy bear, you know that?” Don laughed. “I guess I like holding you. Can’t fault that, can you?” Connor chuckled before pulling himself up and kissing Don. “I can’t fault that. Now, we need to get dressed and get something to eat. Fucking is hungry business.” 

The turtle started laughing. “I guess we could. Also, you look like hell, by the way.” Connor looked at Don before looking into the mirror. “Yeah, my hair is fucked. I have a fix for that, though.” Connor grabbed a hair tie off his dresser and slapped his hair into a bun. “Bam, now I don’t look like I’m homeless.” Don chuckled after hearing that. “Put some clothes on, babe. I don’t think Splinter would like seeing you in just underwear.” Connor laughed as he grabbed a sweater and a pair of sweatpants. Slipping them on, Connor looked at Don. “I just love the way you look, babe,” he commented. The turtle’s olive green skin matched perfectly with his personality, subdued but yet different. Don chuckled at the compliment. “I think I should put my gear on, huh?” Connor nodded. “That would be a good idea.”

Don smiled as he put his leather elbow and knee pads on. “Babe, can you tie my mask?” Connor chuckled. “Of course I can.” Connor then got behind the turtle and held the purple ribbon of fabric. Putting it around Don’s eyes, he held the tail ends and tied them like you would a pair of shoes. Don usually tied it in a simple knot, but putting it into a little bow made Connor smile. “There. All done.” Don looked in the mirror. “Did you really put it into a bow?” Connor laughed. “Course I did. To see it in just a knot is boring, babe. Put a bit of flair into your life.” Don shook his head in reply. “All the flair I need in life is you, babe. Not my damn mask.” Connor just reached around the turtle and hugged him. “I love you, babe. Even if you don’t like how I tie your mask.” Connor got up and unlocked the door, and walked out, calling back to Don. “Come on, babe.” He started walking down the stairs as the turtle came out of the room, following behind quickly. 

As they went onto the first floor, Mikey started laughing. “The lovebirds are finally up!” Connor shook his head. “Yes we are up. What about it?” Mikey just slowly turned pale, realizing that playing around with Connor can go too far. “Nothing, just making a comment.” Connor chuckled. “Okay, Mikey. Whatever you say.” Walking into the kitchen, Connor started to make a bowl of cereal for himself and Don. Leo poked his head around the door. “Hey Connor, good morning.” “Morning, Leo. How did you sleep?” The blue-banded turtle smiled in reply. “I slept fine, but it doesn’t seem like as well as you did. You did wake up quite late.” The human chuckled. “I just didn’t turn my alarm on. I don’t think nuclear attack sirens really fit the mood.” Leo laughed at the thought. “Yeah… that would be kind of funny. Anyway, eat. We still need to practice, and I want you to watch and see what we do.” Connor nodded. “Okay, sounds like a plan.” 

The human then poured two bowls of cereal and then took them into the dining area, setting one down in front of Don. “There you go, babe. Also, you probably heard Leo.” Don nodded. “I did. We’re apparently practicing today, oh boy.” Connor chuckled. “I’ll be alright. Are you sore at all?” The turtle shook his head. “Nope, not at all, surprisingly. You do know what you are doing when it comes to things like that, you weren’t lying.” “See, I told you. I’m glad you aren’t sore or anything, it’d be kinda noticeable." Don laughed. “I guess it would be.” The two then started to eat, quickly polishing off the food. The turtle took their bowls into the sink, and Connor headed into the dojo with the rest of the family. 

Don came in not fifteen seconds later, kneeling down next to Raph and Mikey. Connor was leaned against one of the walls, intent on watching the turtles and what they were doing. Leo was standing in front, about to speak. “Okay guys, this is the first time we’ve practiced in almost a week, thanks to well, Connor barging into our lives.” Connor laughed at the comment. “Thanks for the sentiment, Leo.” Leo smiled in reply. “So, no sparring or anything today, guys. Just running through the basic katas, and we can do a “free-for-all” after.”

The turtles all nodded, and stood up. Going toward the back of the dojo, the four turtles started on their forms after Leo shouted “Kaishi!” Moving in perfect synchronization, the brothers went from form to form, getting it inch-perfect every time. Connor’s blue eyes widened. Watching Don, he followed his brothers in precise movements, not straying off the formula. Connor could only study what the turtles were doing, moving between various forms. He tried to go along with them, but knocked himself over when he pushed against the wall with his foot. Right as soon as he fell over, the turtles stopped and bursted out in laughter. Raph started. “Did ya really knock yourself over?” 

Connor was still laughing on the floor. “I’m fucking done. I can’t even stand up right today.” Don walked over to the human and helped him up, chuckling. “Lesson learned, don’t try to copy us doing katas, huh babe?” Mikey came in with an “Awwww, how cute!” But the next moment, Raph’s hand met the back of Mikey’s head, which was well deserved. “Thanks Raph,” Connor said. Raph nodded. “Anytime.” Connor started talking after stopping laughing. “I was trying to go along with you guys, but I hit the wall and knocked myself over. So much for grace…” Leo chuckled. “No need to explain further. I’m canceling practice after that… I can’t even focus anymore.” 

Mikey whimpered in response, but he got yet another slap to the back of the head courtesy of the red-banded turtle. “What Leo says goes, Mikey. I thought you’d get it by now.” Don and Mikey left the dojo, as Leo and Raph stayed back. The blue-banded turtle started to speak. “So, Connor, you maybe want to do something without kicking the wall?” Connor nodded. “Like what?” “Well, Raph wants to help you get some basic strength up. The mutagen you were injected with increased the rate in which you can gain muscle mass, so that’ll help.” Raph nodded. “I’m not going to go too crazy on you or anything, Connor. Just need to see where you’re at now and go from there.” The human nodded. “I guess I could try.” Leo chuckled. “That’s the attitude we need around here.” Raph laughed at the comment. “Yeah, I guess it is. Well, you want to get started, Connor?” Connor nodded. “Sure, I guess.”

Leo left the dojo a few seconds later, shutting the door behind him. Raph simply looked at the human. “I’m afraid I have quite a bit of work ahead of me, huh?” Connor chuckled. “I guess you do… I’m not the slab of muscle you are by any stretch.” Raph chuckled in response. “So… I have a couple of questions before we get started.” Connor nodded. “Go ahead.” “How much do you weigh right now?” “About 95 pounds depending on the day, really.” Raph inhaled a bit after hearing that. “Jesus, you might as well be air…” Connor laughed. “I pretty much am. So, what do you want me to do?” “You good for doing some pushups? I pretty much need to be that gym teacher who records what goes on first, as a baseline.” Connor nodded before getting on the ground. “I’ll start when you want me to.” Raph grabbed a clipboard, writing different categories on it. “Alright, go. I’ll count.” Connor breathed in deeply before going down and pushing himself back up. 

After about two minutes, Connor collapsed on the floor. Raph chuckled. “You done? That was forty-three.” Connor groaned. “My arms are on fire…” Raph laughed. “Well, sorry, but there’s more where that came from. Can you maybe do some pull-ups now?” Before Connor could respond, Don walked into the dojo and stood by the wall. “Babe, you got this. Trust me.” Connor smiled. “I guess I do.” Raph looked over to Don and mouthed “thanks” before Connor spoke. “I guess I can.” He got up and then walked up to the pull up bar. Connor laughed as he reached up for the bar, but couldn’t reach it. “This is what being short is like, guys.” Don and Raph chuckled as Connor leapt up, finally grasping the bar. He started as Raph counted, his arms being on fire didn’t help. After eight pull-ups, Connor dropped to the ground, then twisting his arms to make them into chin-ups. The human only managed about five that time before dropping back down. “That’s all I can do, Raph.” He nodded before writing down the numbers. Don got up and walked out, poking his head back in. “Babe, you can do this. You got it.” 

Raph simply smiled and looked at Connor. “You’re actually stronger than I expected you to be, Connor. You’re wiry… don’t look like you pack a punch, but you can.” Connor smiled at the compliment. “Thanks, Raph. Means a lot to me right now. What’s next?” Raph laughed. “Ya’re really into this, aren’t ya?” “I guess I am. It feels nice to actually be able to do something. Back in freshman year, I was miserable. This was what, 3 years ago? I wasn’t nearly as strong as I was now. Mutagen or not, something changed, and I kinda like it.” Raph chuckled. “So, what’s next is bench presses. Have you ever been on a bench before?” Connor shook his head. “Never benched anything, ever.” Raph thought for a second. “Well, let’s start with the base 45 and go from there.” Connor looked at Raph in confusion. “Base… 45?” Raph chuckled. “The weight of the bar is 45 pounds to start. Then you add weight on top.” 

Raph set the bar on top of the bench. “Get on here and lay down. I think ya can figure the rest out.” The human did so, setting his feet on the floor. “So, I grab the bar and then just go up and down with it?” Raph nodded. “Gotta remember to keep your wrists straight. If ya bend ‘em, that’s how ya hurt yerself.” “Okay, here we go,” Connor commented. He grabbed the bar and lifted it up off the bench, holding it up. “I forgot how heavy 45 pounds actually was…” Raph laughed. “Ya should be fine with this one. Just pump it up and down three times.” Connor did so, letting the bar drop down before pushing it back up three times. He set it back on the bench. “That was easy, Raph. Can we add more weight?” Raph nodded. “I’ll add ten pounds to start, bump it to 65 after that.” Raph then grabbed two five-pound discs and slid them over the ends of the bar, nodding to Connor to start again. Connor pumped the 55-pound bar up and down three times, re-racking it. “Alright, I think I’m good for the next step.” Raph then took the five-pound weights off the bar and replaced them with ten-pound weights. “Aight, give this a try. It might start feeling a bit heavier,” Raph commented. Connor nodded before pumping the 65 pounds of weight up and down three times.

“Yeah, it’s starting to get heavier. I do have some more headroom left though.” Raph continued to add weight slowly, and Connor tried each level. After about fifteen minutes, Connor finally put a stop to it. “I think I’m about done there.” Raph smiled. “Ya almost benched your entire damn body weight… Yeah you’re strong for your size. Especially for your first go, that’s great!” Raph wrote a simple “85” next to the “Bench” category on the piece of paper. Raph then paused for a second. “Connor, I have a couple of questions. First, I noticed you’re not that flexible. Can you touch your toes?” Connor shook his head after he sat up. “I can’t. Not just because I’m not flexible, my back is just fucked up. I have scoliosis, so it’s curved side to side. Makes shit like that harder to do.” Raph looked at Connor incredulously. “That’s crazy. When did ya know?” 

Connor chuckled. “Well, it was more found out. In middle school, they had screenings for it. Take off your shirt, hold your hands together and bend down kind of thing. I can show you, my back is all misaligned and shit.” Raph shook his head. “No need ta. I just have to keep that in mind. Have ya told Don about it?” Connor paused. “Nope, I haven’t. I completely forgot about it until you brought it up. It doesn’t affect my daily life at all really, just makes my back weirdly tight at times, especially after sitting on a soft couch or something for too long.” 

Raph chuckled. “Well, whatever you say, I guess. If it doesn’t affect ya all that much, I don’t have to worry too much. I guess yer body will just work around it. Is there a cure for it?” Connor shook his head. “Nope, no cure, only ways to stop it from advancing, also known as getting worse. When I was diagnosed officially at 15, I was pretty much already fully grown, so I didn’t need any sort of bracing or surgery to fix it. My sister was 12 at the time, so she did. She wears a brace to keep her back in the same spot. Apparently it’s a bitch to wear, but I wouldn’t know.” Raph chuckled. “I guess ya learned ta work around it?” “Yep, I have to keep in mind to lift with my legs and not my back. I tend to get into my old habits and then wonder why my back is hurting like a bitch the next day. It’s not fun when your back is all sore and shit and you can’t really do anything about it. I do have a question though.” 

Raph paused for a second. “Is it about the shell thing? Yeah, our spines are fused to our shells, like normal turtles. Mikey, however, apparently has his spine less fused than the rest of ours, so he can pull off quite a few more wacky moves and maneuvers.” Connor’s eyes widened. “That’s pretty interesting. Has Don figured out why?” Raph shook his head. “He just chalked it up to the difference in mutation Mikey went through. He spent like two weeks trying to figure it out, too.” “Yeah, that sounds like Don. What did I fall into with him?” Raph laughed. “I dunno, but ya two do love each other, so there’s that. Also, ya two seem to have really similar personalities, but about different things. Yer hobbies lean towards mine, but tendencies lean more towards his. He didn’t really like working in the garage before, but over time he’s gotten more in tune with it. You gotta figure out how to get him out of the lab more, Connor.” The human chuckled. “I’ve been working on it. Last night, I got him out of his lab… admittedly for other reasons, but it kept him from being in his lab at 2 in the morning chugging down coffee, instead being with me in my room asleep.” 

Raph started laughing. “Well, whatever works. Also, isn’t April coming over?” Connor nodded. “Don’s gotta talk to her about the mutagen shit I was injected with, and later tonight, I’ll take her out in her van and teach her some offensive driving techniques. Oh, and learn how to drive stick, like I mentioned before.” Raph smiled. “Sounds like a good idea, she could use the training. You have any more idea of what to do?” “I am starting to gather some ideas, after binge watching some back episodes of ‘Canada’s Worst Driver’.” Raph raised an eye ridge. “Episodes of what?” Connor laughed. “It’s a show where they teach the worst drivers in all of Canada how to control cars and stuff, even going so far as telling them how to do handbrake turns and reverse 180s. I’ll use some of the techniques they use to teach the bad drivers and teach the decent-although-sloppy driver.” 

After Connor said that, the two walked out of the dojo. Connor looked around the lair for Don, but he was in his lab with a “Do Not Disturb” sign around the door handles. Connor sighed a bit and found Leo in his bedroom. “Hey Leo, you have any idea what Don’s doing? I’m slightly worried.” Leo looked up from his book with a confused look. “I don’t, why? Does he have that do not disturb sign up?” Connor nodded and Leo continued. “Well, since you are you, I think he won’t mind you coming in too much, but be careful… Hmm..” Leo paused to think for a second. “You can maybe hack into the network and pull up some sort of camera feed off one of his computers. I know you have the skills to, so it shouldn’t be a problem. You are his boyfriend and all now, so I’m fine with it.” Connor laughed. “Okay, I guess I can try. Remember, you said this and not me.” Leo chuckled. “I’m kind of interested in seeing what he’s doing. How about you bring your laptop in here and we can watch together?” Connor shook his head as he walked into his room, grabbing his laptop and the flash drive with Kali Linux on it. He took the setup back to Leo’s room and plopped down on the bed. 

The human then plugged the flash drive into the laptop, turning it on and booting from the drive. The turtle looked on in amazement. “What is this, Connor?” “It’s special software. It allows me to find backdoors in network and other things. I think Don might have done only the preliminary security basics for your network, which helps me.” He then opened a menu, listing all of the devices on the network of the lair. Various computers were in the list, Mikey’s Xbox, various projects Don uses were on there… but Don’s main computer had a webcam on it. Connor chuckled in a deep tone before locating the computer on the network. He opened a terminal and typed in a couple of codes, allowing remote access to the computer. Leo’s eyes were wide open. “You’re in his computer already?” Connor nodded. “Like I said, it wasn’t that hard. Now, to get the webcam turned on without the light.” He dug around in a couple of files, finding the one for webcam access. He turned the “light” modifier from 1 to 0, and saved it.

“Now, for the fun part, accessing Don’s webcam and microphone without him even noticing a thing.” Connor hit Enter twice, and a video and audio feed popped up. Connor turned up the volume on his laptop and watched along with Leo. Don was over a workbench, and it looked like he was thinking about something. There was a faint mumble heard in the background of the recording, and Connor listened to it. “Fuckin’ centrifuges not working quite right... “ Don said to himself. The turtle then got up, sitting down at the computer. “Is there anything else for me to do?”, he asked aloud as he opened up Chrome. He looked through some technical documents before smashing his head on the desk. “Why does it always work like this?”, he asked himself again. He didn’t take his head off the table, instead sounding like he was crying. “Fucking Connor, why do I miss him when he’s just downstairs?” Connor’s eyes widened. “Holy fuck…” he muttered. Don sat up and wiped tears from his eyes. “He is right, he did say love was one hell of a drug…” Connor took the laptop off his lap, and set it aside. “I’m going in to comfort him a bit. You can keep watching if you want to.” Leo nodded as Connor left his room, going to the lab.

Opening the door, Connor called out. “Babe, I’m done with Raph… You okay?” He walked slowly towards the desk with the turtle sitting in the chair crying. Connor rushed over. “Babe, what’s wrong? Why are you crying?” Don got up quickly, wrapping his arms around the human and kissing him suddenly. Connor wasn’t surprised by this, of course, so he wrapped his arms around the turtle and deepened the kiss. Pulling away after about ten seconds, Don just grinned. “I missed you, even if it was for like a half an hour… You weren’t kidding about being addicted to love.” Connor smiled. “See, I told you. I have a question though, why the ‘do not disturb’ sign? Working on a broken centrifuge isn’t hardly worthy of that.” Don’s eyes widened. “How do you know I was working on a centrifuge?” Connor laughed before pausing. 

“Well, babe. It’s called me wanting to be a pen tester. Remember that? I may have used a couple of those skills and saw what you were doing…” Don shook his head in disbelief. “You hacked my damn computer because you were worried about me locking myself in the lab.” Connor nodded. “I don’t like seeing you like this, all depressed and shit. It’s not a good look. Yes, I did have to hack your computer, but that was pretty much nothing. I just had a bad gut feeling, and I acted upon it. Now, you’re smiling instead of crying. That’s my job.” Don continued to grin. “Okay babe, I’ll only use the do not disturb signs if I actually am working with some nasty stuff. Oh, by the way, have you told Leo to call April yet? Today is her day for all of this stuff.” “No, but watch this.” He held up the phone gesture towards the webcam, and Leo walked out of his room, calling April. “See the magic? I didn’t even have to say anything and now Leo’s calling April.” Don’s face twisted a bit. “He was just watching us?” Connor nodded. “He was worried about you too, since it’s not normal for you to lock yourself in like that.” 

Don started laughing. “I can’t believe you, babe. Honestly. Hacking into my computer and letting Leo watch because you both were worried about what I was doing is… both creepy and yet very thoughtful… I love you, and I know you were pretty much done in the dojo, but I just felt a spike of possessive thoughts just then.” Connor chuckled then leaned in for a kiss. “I know. I watched it all happen. Now, promise me you won’t lock yourself in like this unless it’s absolutely necessary. Please.” Don nodded. “I, Donatello, solemnly swear to not use that damn sign unless I need absolutely no one in my lab. Oh, Connor, do you have any experience with chemistry?” Connor chuckled. “If you call high-school honors-level chemistry enough, then sure. I can recognize interactions and different chemicals and things like that, at least.” Don grinned. “I guess you can start helping me, then. Just don’t touch the hydrochloric acid.” Connor laughed. “I’m afraid that’s a Mikey-esque problem, not a problem I would have.” Don kissed Connor again. “I fucking love you, and it’s hard to accept sometimes. I love you too much, almost.” Connor shook his head before kissing Don again. “No such thing as too much, in terms of both horsepower and love.” 

Don smiled. “I guess we better get out of here, April’s on her way. You had better go get your laptop before Leo fucks up something.” Connor ran out of the lab, calling out “Oh shit, oh shit, oh shit!” Don laughed at the frantic running from his lover before removing the sign from the door and setting it inside. Connor went into Leo’s room and shut off his laptop, carrying it into his room. After he did so, he met Don and held his hand as they went down the stairs. Don started the conversation. “Babe, I’m still surprised for all that effort you went through to make sure I was okay. I really wasn’t. But it seems like you picked up on that, which really threw me for a loop. You really care… and I still wasn’t expecting that.” Connor looked at Don as they sat down on the couch, with tears welling up in his eyes. “Babe, you know I care. I care probably too much, to be honest. I just can’t see you like that without my heart slowly breaking.” 

Don wiped Connor’s tears from his eyes before holding the human’s right hand with his left. He squeezed gently, to tell the human that he was there, the same gesture Connor used when he walked into Don’s lab. “I guess today is just emotional for the both of us, huh? I’m crying because I miss you, you’re crying because I’m still not used to this whole relationship thing.” Connor laughed. “Yeah, it seems that way. Hey Leo, when is April supposed to be here?” Leo replied. “In about twenty minutes, it usually takes her fifteen to get here.” “Alright, thanks.” Connor then leaned his head on Don’s shoulder, the touch making Don calm down a bit. Master Splinter simply looked over to the two teenagers and smiled. He had eavesdropped on their entire conversation, and the way they went about it made him happy. “You two do seem to talk to each other in a very mature way, my sons.” Don looked at Splinter as the rat sat down on his recliner, turning on the TV.

“Father, did you listen to everything we said?” The rat nodded. “I did, Donatello. You seem to forget I listen to everything that happens inside the walls of this lair... that is, sounds I want to listen to of course. Your conversation was one of them, my son. You two seem to have an air of confidence, but yet you can realize your shortcomings in your relationship.” Connor blushed. “Thanks for realizing that, sensei. To be honest, I still keep forgetting you’re the ninja master… You can probably read my thoughts before I even start to think them.” The rat started laughing. “I am afraid I am not that adept, Connor.” He then turned on Netflix, getting back onto Orange Is the New Black. “Did I suck you into this show?” Splinter smiled. “You were right about it being addicting. I’m only on episode six, and I can’t help but keep watching…” Connor laughed. “This show is great. I knew you would have liked it.” 

The episode started to play, and the three started to watch it. Not ten minutes later, the sewer door opened and Splinter paused the show. “Miss O’Neil! How wonderful it is to see you!” April laughed. “It’s great to see you too, Master Splinter. Where’s Don?” The turtle raised his hand, and April walked around the couch, the surprise on her face not very well hidden. “Are you two an item now?” Connor and Don nodded, while Connor continued to speak. “We are now. I’m guessing you figured something like this would happen when you first met me, huh?” April smiled. “I didn’t know it would happen this quickly, but alas. Don, you asked to talk to me about that mutagen that Connor was injected with. I think I can help.” Connor and Don then got off the couch, April following the two up to the lab. 

Don opened the doors and walked toward his computer, opening a file. Connor and April sat down near him, on a rolling chair and a stool respectively. Don murmured for a second, before starting to speak. “Okay, this is the chemical makeup of the mutagen Connor was exposed to, April. You can scroll through it, it’s an extensive makeup, that’s for sure.” Don switched seats with the woman, with her eyes widening at the list. “This is the Foot formula, Don…” Don chuckled. “I figured that out. However, look at markers 246 to 278.” April scrolled down and she was in shock. “You kidding me? This is what they injected him with?” Don nodded. “Surprising, isn’t it?” April looked at Connor. “The stuff they got you with is crazy…” 

Don started to talk again. “I already explained the possible effects of all of this combined, but I need a bit of help. Babe, I’ll need you to shift your eyes for April.” Connor nodded before looking at her. “Watch me closely.” He thought about fucking Don last night, and his eyes turned the deep gray color they switch to when he was in lust. He stopped that thought, and they went back to their normal blue. “That’s not all.” He then thought of someone crashing into his car, and his eyes turned into a blood red color. After his eyes shifted back, April started to think. “I can’t see anything relating to the eyes at all, especially the fact that they change color in an instant like that.” Don chuckled. “That is my problem. Let me pull up another file.” He then grabbed the file that detailed Connor’s DNA pre- and post-mutation. “This is Connor’s DNA before mutation, and after. Feel free to scroll through, I’ve already touched on most of the changes that have happened.”

April nodded as she looked at the list of DNA markers and what they corresponded to. “I don’t see any DNA changes relating to his eyes…” Don shook his head. “I didn’t either. I retried with another sample, and still... Nothing changed genetically for his eyes, but they still change colors with certain moods.” Connor laughed. “I’m a mystery, aren’t I?... No one can figure out why I got here at the start, and I change and nothing in my DNA even correlates.” April and Don laughed, while Don asked April a question. “Should I stop worrying about it and chalk it up to another Mikey situation?” April nodded. “I can’t find anything, either. But thanks for asking at least. Doesn’t hurt to have a second opinion, especially about this stuff. I think we’re done here… Connor, can you take me up to the garage?” Connor nodded. They got up and went up the garage, as Don stayed in his lab, still pondering the situation. “April said it’s no big deal, so fuck it…”, he thought as he closed the applications for the DNA viewer and the mutagen. Going back into the living room, he rejoined Splinter in watching the show.

April and Connor were in the elevator when he started the conversation. “Well, I can show you the thing you’re going to be learning stick in later, if that’s okay. Also, I have a favor you might need to help me with.” April cocked her head. “A favor? Sure, I can do a favor for the weird human who lives with the Turtles.” Connor laughed. “It’s nothing big, but it’ll help me out majorly.” The doors opened, and the teenager and the young woman walked into the space. “That’s your car? My mom had one almost just like it!” Connor chuckled. “Pretty much everyone had one of these in the nineties. It’s easy to learn stick in, so you’ll have no problem.” April laughed. “Okay, that sounds great. You seem like a better teacher than Casey ever would be, Connor.” The teenager then chuckled. “Would it be okay if I drove over to your apartment? I need to see your van to make sure it’s in good shape for the driving I plan to help you do in it.” 

April nodded. “We can do that. I also need to hear of this favor.” Connor laughed. Okay, get in. I have to get my keys.” Connor walked over to the bench and grabbed his keys off the wooden surface. He opened the door and got in, sticking his key in the ignition and turning it, making sure he was in Neutral. “Oh, shit. Need to text Leo,” he said before pulling his phone out and texting Leo “I’m going out with April to her apartment. Gonna check out her van for tonight and possibly a couple of other small things.” Leo replied with “Okay, be careful. I’ll tell Don so he doesn’t get all lovesick.” Connor laughed at that before April looked over. “What are you laughing at?” “Oh, before you arrived, Don was all lovesick over me… even when I was out of his sight for like twenty-five minutes.” The woman then laughed. “Yeah, that sounds like Don, alright.” Connor looked over, noticing April already put her lap belt on. “Wow, you already got your lap belt on… you know of the automatic seat belts, huh?” “Yeah, like I said, my mom had one of these cars when I was a little kid. Watching these things move back and forth was so entertaining.” Connor chuckled in reply.

April had to ask a question, though. “How did you bag Don, of all people?” Connor smiled as he backed the car out of the lift bay and slowly crawled out of the garage. Following his phone’s directions, he started to drive. “Well, I first really noticed he was into me when he looked at me with lust in his eyes a couple of times. But, I went with him to the junkyard, and he didn’t have the nuts to make a move. So, I just got on top of him and started making out with him.” April laughed. “Don’t say this to Casey, but I was the one who had to make the first move too. He was a typical guy who completely blew off all hints, and so I just pretty much did the same thing.” Connor shook his head. “Guys don’t catch the small hints. I still don’t. We’re just not wired for that type of shit.” “That’s what Casey said. Guess it’s just psychology. Anyway, what was your favor?” Connor chuckled. “Well, I planned for me and Don to borrow a friend’s place for a night and we can have a Valentine’s Day dinner and stuff… but it would be missing something. Since I’m not twenty-one, I can’t get wine for dinner. If I gave you some cash, do you think you could get some for me?” 

April looked over to Connor and laughed. “Sure, of course I could. You have a specific wine or anything you need?” Connor nodded. “I have a little list in my pocket. I don’t need it tonight or anything. Monday I have a few things I need to pick up, you think I could get it then?” April nodded. “That works. Just text me before you are going to drop by on Monday.” Pulling into a parking spot, Connor shut the car off and dug around in his pocket. On the list was both a bottle of Cabernet Sauvignon that would go great with a steak, and a bottle of Asti Spumante that would just be good to drink regardless. “I have these… and hang on.” Connor pulled out his wallet and pulled out thirty bucks. “And here’s some cash to cover it.” April took both the money and the small slip of paper and put them in her purse. “I’ll get this by Monday, Connor.” “Thanks for doing this for me, you don’t know how much this means to me.” April laughed. “It’s nothing, honey. Also, your choices of wine are pretty good, considering I don’t think you really drink all that much.” Connor shook his head. “Only really on very special occasions, and this is one of them.” 

The two got out of the faded red econobox and walked down the sidewalk, coming across April’s antique shop. “This is my shop, I sell a variety of small things, mostly vintage. Please, come in.” Connor followed April into the small store. “Oh wow, this place is cool.” April smiled. “I have a bit of everything in here, from jewelry to antique dressers. It’s my main gig nowadays, it used to be just a side thing. My apartment is upstairs from here.” Connor nodded. “Too bad you don’t sell vintage electronics, I could help you with that if you did.” April’s eyes widened. “You have experience with old electronics?” Connor nodded. “I do. Anything from old BASIC computers all the way up to the modern day.” “Well, would you mind if you helped me out? If I found old computers and other stuff, could you maybe fix them and make them like they just came out of the factory? I’ll split the profit with you.” Connor paused for a second. The job would be easy money, something he will need if he’s making any more extreme purchases like all those parts for the Battle Shell. 

“You know what, that doesn’t sound like a bad idea. I’ll need to clear out a space in the lair somewhere for a workroom slash office, but it could work out. I guess you giving me a job makes up for the driving lessons?” April laughed. “I guess it does. I can’t wait to hop into that whole market. There’s gotta be people in New York who want vintage computers and electronics, right?” Connor laughed. “They’re everywhere. There’s nothing cooler than having the actual hardware for a game you want to play or whatever.” “So, yes. How about I find a stash of old computers somewhere, and I can drop by once a week to pick up fixed ones?” Connor grinned. “That sounds great. Anyway, I need to see that van of yours, April. If you want to drive it in a high-performance fashion, I need to make sure it’s ready for it.” 

The woman nodded. “It’s outside. I’ll grab the keys.” April walked into the back of the store as Connor walked outside and looked at the van. It was a white mid-2000s Ford E-Series, a common van. It had a “Triton V8” badge on the front fender, so that automatically assumed a 4.6 liter single-cam V8 from Ford’s Modular series. Connor looked around the van, first feeling the tread of the tires. They weren’t cupped, and their wear was very even, showing no signs of camber. They still had a healthy amount of tread on all four corners, and the brakes weren’t grooved, with a decent amount of brake pad material left. April came back out of the shop with keys in her hand, handing them to Connor. “Thanks, April. Do you mind if I just run through everything real quick?” The woman shook her head. “Do whatever you need to, I’ll watch.” Connor smiled as he unlocked the driver’s door and got into the van. Before doing anything, he popped the hood open. Walking around to the front, he pushed the latch open and lifted the metal panel up, propping it up. “This engine is actually pretty clean, it looks like you take care of it.” April smiled. “I use it to make money, of course I am going to take care of it.”

Connor smiled. “When is the last time you changed the oil?” “Don did it for me about three thousand miles ago.” The teenager then looked around in the engine bay, making sure everything was in place and proper. The battery had no corrosion on the terminals, and all of the wiring was all tied in place and not loose. Closing the hood, he hopped in the driver’s seat and started the van. It idled smoothly, with no sounds of lifter tick or knock. He stepped on the gas a bit to make sure it sounded smooth through the rev range. Pleased, he let off and let the van continue to idle. He shut the door and put his foot on the brake, shifting the transmission from Park to First and all the way back. The shifter was nice and tight, and it didn’t bind up in its travel. He released the parking brake with its release, and put the van into Reverse. Seeing that there were no cars behind the van, he let off the brake and stepped on the parking brake, making the rear tires lock. “Parking brake works well enough,” he thought as he released it and then shifted to Drive to move the van forward again. Shutting it off in Park, he got out. April still sat by her shop, waiting for the teenager. He locked the van and then tossed the keys back to the woman.

“Well, your van is in great shape. It’s ready to be driven hard. Your tires are all in great shape, and your brakes are perfectly normal. I did test the parking brake there just now, as you saw. Had to make sure it locked under load.” April smiled. “I knew you would make sure it’s good. You ready to go back to the lair?” Connor nodded. “That’s all I needed to do.” The two then walked back to the Escort around the corner, and then got in. Connor drove back to the lair, with the two having a lighthearted conversation about their lovers and what Connor was going to do that night. Pulling back into the garage, he decided to surprise April a bit. Driving down the ramp, he pulled the handbrake and swung the Escort around, lining it up perfectly with his lift bay. April laughed. “What was that for?” “Well, I had to show you what I can do. Plus I decided I wanted to have a bit of fun while I did so.” 

They got out of the car and walked into the elevator after the doors opened. Mikey immediately yelled out “April’s back!” when they dinged down at the lair. The woman laughed as Mikey pined for her attention. “Okay, Mikey, I’ll come down, just wait!” She went down the stairs as Don came up to Connor, squeezing the human. “Babe, I missed you…” Connor chuckled. “I was only out for like half an hour, babe. It was something I had to do.” Don nodded. “I know, but it doesn’t mean I can’t miss you.” Connor laughed. “Of course not. Anyway, we will need to clear out your old bedroom soon.” Don looked at Connor with a confused look, with the two walking into their new bedroom. “Why do we need to clear out the space?” “Well, April offered me a job. I fix old computers and electronics for her, and she splits the profit with me. I just need an actual space where I can do that, and not on this bed or whatever.” 

The purple-banded turtle nodded. “We can clear it out tomorrow. How did her van check out?” “It’s in great shape, she really takes care of it. It’s 14 years old, but it runs like it’s half that.” Don chuckled. “That’s April. She really takes care of her things.” “Yeah, I can tell. The engine bay in that van is really clean. The brakes and tires are in great shape, and it runs great. Ready for some thrashing, I think.” Don laughed. “I guess so. Just don’t break it.” Connor shook his head. “You think I’ll tell her how to break it? I’m just going to explain vehicle control basics and weight shifting and stuff. Make it fun, of course.” Don shook his head. “Okay, I hope you know what you are doing, babe.” The human chuckled as he grasped Don’s hand. “Yeah, I hope I do, too.” The two then decided just to sit on the bed for a few minutes, enjoying sitting next to each other. The human then wrapped his arms around the turtle, leaning his head on Don’s chest. Don smiled and wrapped his arms around Connor, repeating the small gesture. The two held each other for a couple of minutes before finally separating from the hug. 

Connor chuckled. “I love you babe, even if you miss me a little too much sometimes. You do have to remember, I am my own person.” Don laughed. “I don’t forget it, but I forget to think about it. I love you too. Now, should we be getting downstairs?” The human nodded. “They probably think we’re already fucking or something.” The turtle laughed again. “Yeah, that wouldn’t be a good thing to wait. Come on, let’s get down there.” They both stood up and walked out of the room, heading down the stairs. Splinter shut off his show, instead having a conversation with April. Mikey and Raph were on the couch, as they shut off their game and decided to join in. Connor then held Don’s hand as the two sat on the sofa next to each other. Everyone in the living room then looked at the two. Connor shook his head. “What are you guys looking at us for?” Raph laughed. “I don’t know. We were just talking about you, though. Your driving skills and all… And April said you two look cute together.” 

Connor put his head into his hands and shook it. “April, come on. You’re jealous and all, but you forget you already have a boyfriend…” April turned beet red as soon as he said that and started laughing. “That isn’t what I meant, Raph!” The red-banded turtle started laughing. “I know, it was just funny.” Don shook his head. “Is there anything else you guys said about us?” The rest of the family shook their heads. The woman stopped laughing. “I just said you guys look cute together, not saying that I’m jealous or anything.” Connor chuckled. “Okay, do you want to know the plan for tonight?” April nodded. “Of course I do.” Connor smiled. “That’s what I need to hear. So, first we need to find some large open space, like a parking lot or something. I’d prefer no one to be around while we do this.” Don thought for a second. “We might need to go out of Manhattan to find somewhere though, maybe Queens.” Connor nodded as he pulled out his phone, scrolling around the city. “Haha, I found a place. There’s a Target in Queens with a pretty big parking lot, certainly enough room to do some maneuvers in. They close at eleven, and I doubt people will be going through there much after eleven-thirty.” Don nodded. “Sounds like a good place, April, are you okay with driving around a Target parking lot?” 

The woman nodded. “As long as no one sees you guys, I’m good.” Mikey then clapped his hands. “With that done, who wants lunch?” Everyone nodded in reply. “Okay, I’m guessing I’m making a feast… Peanut butter and jelly sandwiches okay?” Connor groaned a bit in response. “I just had one of those things yesterday… but it’s better than nothing, I guess.” Mikey smirked. “I’ll add something different to yours then.” Don leaned over onto Connor’s shoulder and smiled, glad that the human was right next to him. April smirked a bit. “You two really do love each other, don’t you?” Connor nodded. “Of course we do, why wouldn’t we?” April shrugged. “It just took me a month to get into the same place you guys are at in four days…” Connor laughed. “Yeah, it surprised me how quickly it’s been too. Anyway, babe I need to get up.” Don sat up, getting off of Connor’s shoulder. The human then got up and headed for the bathroom as Don followed him with his eyes.

Mikey then came out of the kitchen, with a stack of paper plates with sandwiches on them. He sat one in everyone’s lap and one in front of Connor’s seat. The human then came back down the stairs, going into the fridge to grab an energy drink before sitting down at the couch next to his lover. He looked at the sandwich while he cracked open the can. “Mikey, did you put bacon in this?” The orange-banded turtle nodded. “I think it could go along with it.” Connor bit into the sandwich and nodded. “It does, I like it.” Connor finished his sandwich quickly before taking a sip of the drink. April just looked at the human, amazed. “Connor, I’m still surprised how quickly you picked up on the family here. I thought you would still be all nervous and traumatized from what happened earlier with you.” The teenager shook his head. “Nope, it’s all in the past now. I may have done some things I probably shouldn’t have, but it got me here, so it’s not all bad.” 

April raised an eyebrow. “What did you think about the Turtles when you first woke up?” Connor laughed. “I thought I was dead, dreaming about things that didn’t exist. But, now I know they’re very real, and I am still alive. The way they cared for me made me comfortable, in a way a human family couldn't.” The woman then nodded. “It makes sense. If I were you though, I would have had a harder time accepting all of this stuff.” Connor chuckled. “I guess so. Anyway, I have to go figure out what I want to do with you. After you finish eating, would you like to come out to that parking lot and learn how to drive stick? I think someone would also like to tag along to scope out the place, right babe?” Don snapped his head over to look at Connor. “You serious? I’d love to go with you two.” Connor laughed in reply. “I knew you would. April, you down for some midday lessons?” 

April smiled. “Sure, I would. This isn’t the stunt driving stuff yet, so yes.” Connor looked over to Don. “Get ready to go, babe. I’ll meet you two in the garage.” The human teen then got off the couch, heading to his room to get his wallet, phone and keys. Grabbing his jacket as he walked out, he pressed the button for the elevator and walking in. Pressing the button to go up, he was surprised when he saw a turtle working on his motorcycle. “What’s up, Raph?”, Connor asked as he walked into the garage. Raph shook his head. “Nothin’ really. Just decided ta come up here. Whatcha doin’?” “Oh, I’m about to go out with April and Don and both teach her stick and scope out that parking lot for later tonight, like possible courses we could take and stuff.” Raph nodded. “Cool. Ya need any help with anythin’?” Connor shook his head. “I just have to get these damn seats out of the back of my car, I need to fold my seats back up.” Connor leaned in to grab the first seat, heaving it out and wobbling slightly. Raph chuckled at the sight of the scrawny teenager getting the bulky seat out of his car. Connor set the first seat down, and heaved the second out and setting it on the floor of the garage. 

The elevator dinged, and April and Don walked out of the elevator laughing. “What’s so funny, guys?”, Connor asked. Don waved his hand in the air. “Just something kind of stupid.” Connor shook his head and chuckled. “Ready to get this show on the road?” April laughed. “Sure. Am I sitting in the back?” Connor nodded. “Not to be insulting or anything, but Don needs the room in the front. Also, there’s going to be more room behind me because I’m short.” Connor then leaned through the cargo area, pulling the rear seats up, locking them in place. “Alright, back seats are now operational.” Don chuckled. “They are.” Connor then opened the driver’s side door, popping the seat forward before sliding it up, giving April the most room to get in. 

The woman then slid in behind the seat, dropping herself down. “I’m surprised how big it is back here, Connor. This car is tiny, but it’s big inside.” The other human chuckled. “It surprised me how big it was in the back too. My mom’s midsize sedan was tighter in the back than this thing. Anyway, I now have to move the seat back, watch your knees April.” Connor popped the seat back and got in, sliding it back enough to get comfortable. “You have enough room?” April chuckled. “I can probably slouch down and still have room left.” Connor laughed as Don got in the passenger’s side. The two closed their doors, and Connor was about to start the car, before pausing. “Seat belts everyone!” he exclaimed. Don piped up. “Please let this be a normal field trip!” April then joined in. “With the Frizz? NO WAY!” The three started laughing after that. “I guess we all know the Magic School Bus, huh?”, Connor said with a chuckle. Don nodded. “Seems like it. You think I should turn my human generator on?” The teenager shook his head. “Babe, I’m driving to Queens in one o’clock traffic. It’s pretty much a given. My windows aren’t tinted either, so that doesn’t help.” 

Don simply smiled as Connor started the Escort, backing it out of the bay and getting out of the garage. His phone told him to turn left three times to head southbound on 2nd Avenue. Easing out of the garage, the door shut behind him. April just looked out the window as Don looked at his lover, fully focused on driving. Sitting at a red light, Connor started the conversation. “Anyone have suggestions for music?” April piped up. “What about some trap music?” Connor laughed. “Sure, I can do trap. Don doesn’t know what it is though…” Don chuckled. “Yeah, I haven’t heard of it. Put some on, babe. I’ll see if I like it.” Connor chuckled. “Ooookay, I will.” He then pressed play on his trap playlist, the sounds of 808 hi-hats and thumping kicks coming through the speakers. 

Don’s head started bobbing back and forth. “I like this… Is it pretty much a hip-hop beat with no rap?” Connor laughed. “Well, kind of. It takes inspiration from hip-hop but the drum patterns and stuff is full-on electronic.” April chuckled. “And here, ladies and gentlemen, we have the electronic music historian.” Connor shook his head. “I do know quite a bit about music. Probably too much, to be honest. I’m like that with a lot of things…” Don smiled. “Just like I am. We’re both hopelessly addicted to learning too much about something.” April smiled. “You two really do fit together like pieces to a puzzle. Also, Don, he did tell me how you guys got together…” Don blushed. “Babe, really?” The human chuckled. “She asked, I delivered. I didn’t go into too much detail, babe.” 

Over the speakers, the song “omega” came on. Connor turned it up, totally ignoring any replies from anyone in the car. He bobbed his head to side on the clap effects in the song, then turning it down a bit. April laughed. “What was that for, Connor?” The other human shrugged. “I like the song. Reminds me of my childhood with the sampled VHS player sucking the tape in.” Don shook his head. “Do you have anything else you could play?” Connor then hit play on a synthwave playlist as he turned left to go into the Queens-Midtown Tunnel. “See if you like this, babe.” The song “Getaway” came on, and Don bobbed his head. “I like this a lot more.” Connor laughed. “That’s good. April, you like synthwave, right?” “Yeah, I do. It’s all eighties like and sounds cool.” 

Turning into the tunnel, Connor put the Escort into fourth gear and cruised down the tunnel, the sound of the music going along with the orange lights dotted down the walls. April started the conversation back up. “So, Connor, when we get there, what are we going to do?” “Well, Don’s going to measure up the place while I teach you how to drive stick. I don’t know how long it’ll take, but I’m not stopping until you feel safe driving us home.” April gasped a bit. “Really? I thought it would take me multiple days…” Connor shook his head. “I have a feeling it’ll click for you. It became second nature to me after three days.” 

April wondered about that for a second. Connor is telling her that she will pick it up quickly, but she wasn’t all that sure. Before she could say anything, sunlight washed over the car. Don laughed. “Oh boy, the 495. Might as well be a parking lot.” Connor shook his head. “Wait until you guys see Atlanta traffic. It’s actually a joke. Try getting onto the Connector at 5:30 heading southbound. Two highways merge into one and also, remember this is Atlanta. Now tell me this traffic is bad.” April shook her head. “I can probably figure. Do you get guys ducking in and out of lanes?” Connor nodded. “Not just that, but also guys blasting by doing 45 miles per hour on the shoulder in gridlock. Atlanta is very much a tale of two cities in traffic. You have the people afraid of going sixty in the passing lanes, while the people who actually know how to drive do about eighty-five to ninety cutting in between cars and stuff trying to get around them all.” 

Don paused for a second. “Maybe that’s why you are such an aggressive driver at times, you had to learn in a hellhole like that.” The human teen laughed in reply. “Yeah, it didn’t help. At least I know that traffic here isn’t all that bad, your speed limits are just way lower. We’re on a damn highway and the limit isn’t even fifty… and everyone is doing sixty. What gives?” April laughed. “Welcome to New York, and no you don’t get the shirt.” As the two passengers assumed, traffic slowed to a crawl. “Awww fuck,” Connor sighed. “Keep whining about Atlanta traffic now, babe.” Connor shook his head. “I will never stop complaining about ATL traffic. Even if I’m doing the pedal dance right now.” April’s head craned a bit. “Pedal… dance…?” Connor chuckled. “When driving stick, there are two things you come to hate. First is traffic. Second are hills. The worst of all is traffic on a hill.” “Oh, okay. Let me guess, you’ve ran into the latter.” Connor nodded. “Yeah, there’s one hill where I live where it’s pretty steep, and the traffic light behind it always tends to back up. It gets old rather quickly.” 

He finally switched lanes to get onto 678 North. “We’re almost there you guys, so please be patient and keep your seat belts fastened.” The two passengers chuckled as Connor merged onto the next freeway, keeping an eye out for the 20th Avenue exit. About seven minutes later, he turned left onto 20th. “Alright in about a mile we will be there.” Don looked out the window before piping up. “On the right there babe. And yes, that is a large parking lot, great choice.” Connor bowed. “Thank you, thank you. Now, let me park up and let’s get all situated.” The human then turned the car into the shopping center, driving through it slowly before parking in the back. 

He then turned the car off and got out, letting April out of the back seat. April then piped up. “I thought that drive was going to be a lot more “Fast and Furious” than “Driving Miss Daisy”, Connor, but you seemed to surprise me.” Connor laughed. “There’s a time and place for everything. Plus having two people I care about in the car with me squashes most fun ideas I have, to be honest. But don’t fret, we can do all of that stuff later.” Don chuckled. “That’s right. I’m going to scan this parking lot and measure its dimensions and stuff, you guys can start.” Connor walked over to Don and gave him a hug. “Thanks for coming with us, babe.” “No problem. I kind of wanted to do this anyway.” April squealed a bit at the interaction, but Don shot her a glare. 

Connor shook his head at Don’s antics. “You ready to start your manual transmission lesson, April?” The woman nodded. “Sure am, Connor. Let’s get started, huh?” The teenager shook his head and chuckled. “I thought you would procrastinate a bit more on it. That’s surprising.” Connor then tossed the keys to April, who caught them and got into the Escort’s driver’s side. Connor sighed before getting into the passenger’s side, hoping April wouldn’t kill his clutch today.


	9. Lessons

* * *

RECOMMENDED LISTENING:

Infinite Triumph (Defqon.1 Australia Hardcore Soundtrack) - Evil Activities

Raw hardstyle track edging on hardcore. It’s a Defqon anthem, which means it is damn good. Haunting melodies mixed with blasting kicks and you get something that is one of my favorite songs at the moment.

Pennywise - Angerfist

Hardcore track from the master of the genre. The main theme is the series of clown sightings that happened in America in 2016, but there’s samples taken from IT and more. It’s chilling and kind of scary, but that’s the point.

The Promqueen’s Finest Drug - Angerfist

HARD DRUGS IS THE BOMB

Carry on Wayward Son - Kansas

Classic rock at its finest… If you listen to this song, you will automatically know the lyrics, guaranteed.

Another Brick in the Wall, Pt. 2 - Pink Floyd

“If ya don’t eat yer meat, ya can’t have any pudding! How can ya have any pudding if ya don’t eat yer meat???”

* * *

* * *

Friday, January 2, 2018, 1:12 PM

* * *

Connor looked over to April, who was in the driver’s seat of his Escort. She looked a bit nervous. “You’ll be fine. If you break anything I just have an excuse to upgrade my car,” Connor commented. April laughed. “So, if I completely toast your clutch everything’s good?” The teenager then chuckled. “I only hope I wouldn’t need to get it towed, that’s for sure. I do have a Triple-A card, but I don’t want to use it.” April then shook her head. “Okay, I’ll try not to break anything. So, what do I do?” Connor smiled. “You do know what pedal the clutch is, right?” “Yep, all the way on the left.” “Press it all the way to the floor.” April did so, and her leg straightened all the way. “Ooh, that’s not good,” Connor commented. April looked at him in confusion. “What’s not good?” “Your seating position. You’re not forward enough. Let off the clutch and then slide the seat forward about another inch.” 

The woman nodded as he grabbed the lever on the bottom of the seat and inched it forward. “Can I try again?” “Sure, of course you can.” She then pressed the pedal in all of the way again, and her knee now had a slight bend in it. “Okay, your seat is in the right spot. Can you let off the clutch and put your right wrist on top of the steering wheel?” April did so, setting her wrist on the wheel with a slight bend in her elbow. “Okay, that’s good, your seat is in the right position for you. You wonder why I make sure your joints are bent?” April shook her head. “No, why?” “Well, if you crash, if your joints are all locked up, you’ll break instead of bend. It’s not the greatest idea. Are you comfortable sitting like this?” April nodded. “Is this like the full race driver position?” Connor shook his head and chuckled. “Actually, it’s the correct position. People tend to screw it up all the time. Alright, you ready for your next little lesson?”

April smiled. “Sure, I am.” “Alright, put the key in and turn the ignition on. Don’t start the car yet, just turn it on.” The woman then turned the key two clicks in the ignition and the lights on the instrument cluster turned on. “What now?” “First, adjust your rear view mirror. You should be able to see the most out of the rear window you can.” April moved the mirror slightly, angling it slightly down. “Done, now the side mirrors?” “Yeah. Adjust them to where you can only see a slight sliver of the car in the corner. It reduces your blind spot.” “Like, see only a very small part of this car in the edge?” Connor nodded. “Yep, think you can manage that?” April smiled. “Where’s your switch?” “Over on the left.” April made an “aah” sound as she clicked the switch and moved the driver’s side mirror to where Connor said to. Clicking it again, she moved the mirror on the passenger’s side, only seeing a slight hint of Connor’s rear quarter panel in the edge. “Alright that’s done. We ready?” Connor nodded. “Let’s start this. I doubt we will need our lap belts for this.” 

“So, what do I do again? I haven’t driven a stick car in a while.” Connor looked over and smiled. “Okay, push the clutch in and we will go through the gears.” April pushed the pedal down and grabbed the shifter. “So, what gear are we in right now?” “We’re in first. If you go one notch down, you’ll be in Neutral. Try it.” April pushed the shifter down one notch, putting the transmission into Neutral. “So, Neutral means no power will be sent through, right?” Connor nodded. “Precisely. You use Neutral if you’re in traffic or sitting at a light or something where you are going to be stopped for a while. Move the shifter left and right.” April did and gasped. “Is that normal?” “Yes, it is. If you can wiggle the shifter like that, it tells you are in Neutral. You have probably seen me do that when coming up to a light or something.” 

April laughed. “I wondered what that was all about. Now I know, huh?” Connor smiled. “Yeah. Okay, now go left and up from there.” She slotted the shifter into first gear. “Is that first?” Connor nodded. “We’re going to be mostly using first in this parking lot, possibly getting into second gear. Slide the shifter down, pulling slightly towards you.” “That’s second?” “Yep, now knock it back into Neutral.” She did so. “Now push it up, like towards the radio.” April did so and her face twisted. “That’s third, I’m guessing? I used to screw up getting into third in Casey’s old truck.” “Yep, that’s third. If you’re in Neutral, you just push up to get into third. Now pull straight down.” “That’s fourth, and fifth is all the way to the right and up?” Connor nodded. “I think you’re getting this. I don’t have sixth, though. A lot of more modern cars have a sixth gear, and Corvettes and Porsches have even seven gears.” April nodded. “Where’s Reverse?” Connor smiled. “To get into Reverse, you need to be in Neutral first. It’s a safety lockout thing.” April put the shifter into the middle position. Connor then continued. “Go right and down.”

April then slotted the shifter into Reverse, the click of the gear sounding. “Reverse makes a little noise to tell you it’s in. Now, keep the clutch pushed in, and run through all of the gears twice.” April put the car into Neutral, wiggling it. She then went first through fifth in order, and then put it into Neutral before slotting it into Reverse. “Good, that’s one. One more and then put it into Neutral. April did so in about ten seconds. “Alright, let off the clutch. How do you feel about all of this so far?” April grinned. “You’re a better teacher than Casey. He would yell at me to get in first and I didn’t even know where it was. Now I do, but I didn’t then.” Connor laughed. “You’ll be okay. Ready?” April nodded. “Sure, let’s go.” 

Connor looked over. “Make sure your handbrake is on, and then push the clutch in and turn the key. You need to push the clutch in because it won’t start if you don’t.” April pulled the handbrake up, and then pushed in the clutch and turned the key. “Now what?”, she asked after the Escort started. “Since you’re in Neutral, you can let off the clutch. The car can idle forever in Neutral, since it won’t go anywhere.” “So, if it’s in Neutral, it’ll just roll?” “Yeah, that’s why I told you to put the handbrake on.” April smiled. “Now, let me guess, this is the part where start actually moving?” Connor nodded. “Are you ready?” April smiled. “Ready as I’ll ever be, Connor.” “Alright, here’s what you do. Since this parking lot is flat, you can take your handbrake off and sit there for a second.” April pressed the button on the handbrake, lowering it. “Now what?” “Put the clutch in and shift into first gear.” April did so, and Connor continued. “Don’t even try to touch the gas yet.”

Connor paused and continued. “Slowly release the clutch. Emphasis on slowly.” “So, I just stop holding it as hard?” Connor nodded. “Let the pedal work itself up against your foot.” April slowly let the clutch out, exclaiming when the car started to move. “It’s moving!” Connor chuckled. “Do you remember how long it is from the floor to the point where it started to move?” April shook her head. “Okay, put the clutch back in and step on the brake. We’re doing that again a few more times. You need to find out the specific spot the clutch starts to engage, or make the car move. Do you know how the clutch works?” April shook her head. “Okay, shift into Neutral and put the handbrake on. I’ll explain.” 

April did so and looked at Connor, who had his hands in the air. “Pretend this hand is the engine. It’s always spinning. My other hand is your transmission and wheels. They’re not moving. If you put them together suddenly, the engine will stall out.” “Oh, so that’s why I always stalled manual cars. I let them go together too quickly.” Connor nodded. “You’re really getting this. So, we use the clutch to smooth out the process of putting these two together.” April nodded. “I think I kind of get it. Clutch smooths out the engine and transmission when you put them together.” Connor grinned. “I knew you would get it. So, when your clutch pedal is on the floor, these two are completely separated. When the pedal is all of the way up, they are together, and you can transmit power. When the car started to move just now, it started to rub together.” A light bulb lit up in April’s head after he said that. “Okay, I get it now. Can I try again?” Connor nodded. “Sure, but this time when you get the car moving, release off the clutch all the way slowly.” April nodded. “Okay, here we go!” The woman then released the handbrake and put the car into first gear. Slowly easing off the clutch, the Escort started to roll. “Hold the clutch there, and add a little bit of gas.” 

April did so, and it smoothed out a bit and accelerated forward a bit. “Now, you can release the clutch all of the way, slowly. If you go too fast, the car will jerk a bit.” April did so smoothly. “Can I keep on the gas after the clutch is released?” Connor nodded. “Now, driving is just like driving around an automatic. Accelerate to about fifteen miles an hour, then stop.” April nodded. She pressed on the brake, but the car stalled at about three miles per hour. The woman freaked out a bit. “What did I do? Did I break it?” Connor laughed. “No, you didn’t. When you go to stop, you need to have the clutch in unless you are in Neutral. Push the clutch back in and restart the car. That’s what it feels like when you stall it.” 

April sighed. “First stall. Okay, I’ll try again.” Connor smiled. “Now, this time, try adding a bit of gas before the bite point.” April looked at the teenager in confusion. “Bite point?” “The point where the clutch “bites”, or starts to rub like I was talking about.” The woman then nodded. She restarted the car and let off the clutch, adding a small amount of throttle before the clutch started to grab. “I’m doing it!”, she exclaimed. “Yes, you are April. Now, once you get off the clutch, I want you to get to about fifteen miles per hour and shift into second.” “Uhh, how do I shift?” “It’s simple. Get off the gas, put the clutch in, put the shifter into second, and then let off the clutch and continue. It’s a three second process.” April nodded as she accelerated, then popping the clutch in and shifting to second. “You don’t have to be so slow on the clutch once you’re moving. Just when you’re starting off.” 

April let off the clutch, and the engine’s revs died down a bit. “Now I’m in second gear?” Connor nodded. “It’s exactly like that for every gear going up. Shifting down is a bit different. Would you like to try it?” April nodded. “I guess I’ll have to eventually, right?” Connor chuckled. “So, shift into Neutral and stop. Then do what you did to start off and shift into second.” April stopped the car, breathing in before shifting into first gear and starting off again. Connor smiled after seeing that. “I know it’s repetitive, but that’s manual driving. The benefit is that you can control the car more than an automatic. You tell it when to shift, not the computer deciding when to.” April then accelerated and shifted into second. “So, I want to go back down to first, how do I do that?” Connor smiled. “Okay, put the clutch in and put it in first. But instead of just releasing the clutch, you need to give it a bit of gas before you let it out.” “Why do I give it gas?” “Well, it’s so you rev up the engine before releasing the clutch. It makes everything smoother. Don’t need too much, either. About a half-inch of throttle should do.” 

April winced as she put the shifter into first, giving the throttle pedal a little step before releasing the clutch. The car jerked a little bit, but Connor could definitely tell she added throttle. “That was great, April! You got a decent downshift done. How did that feel?” April started laughing. “That felt great!” Connor then decided to end the lesson. “I think you’re at the point to where you can drive us home, April. I’ll be sitting right here, so I can help you just in case. If at any point you feel unsafe, we can swap seats.” April nodded. “Okay, I’m still a little nervous.” “I know you are. I was nervous the first time I drove a stick car on the road too. So, let’s go get Don and we can get out of here.” “So, just drive over to him?” Connor nodded. “You don’t need to get out of second gear in this parking lot, and you know what to do when you need to get back into first, so you should be fine. I think he’s near the front.” 

April exhaled and then piloted the compact car around the parking lot. “There he is,” she commented. “Just pull up next to him and I’ll get out. Remember what to do when you need to stop, especially for a little while?” “Shift into Neutral, let off the clutch and brake.” “Alright, pull off to the side here and I’ll go get him.” Connor opened his door and got out, walking towards Don’s human disguised form. “Hey babe, time to go. April’s driving us home. I’m afraid you’re in the back.” Don smiled as he grabbed his measurements. “Okay, is she ready to?” “Well, she knows how the clutch works and how to upshift and downshift, so there’s that. I think she’ll be fine.” Don chuckled. “Alright, babe. I’ll get in the back.” Connor laughed as he walked back towards the Escort, moving the passenger’s seat up. He said “There you go, babe,” as Don got in. “Wow, April wasn’t kidding, this back seat isn’t that bad.” 

Connor laughed as he put his seat back. “Have enough room now?” Don laughed. “I don’t…. I guess I can just lay sideways.” Don shifted over as Connor put his seat belt on. “April, don’t forget your lap belt. We are going on the roads, of course.” April grabbed the gray belt from the floor and dragged it over her hips, buckling it. “Alright, are we ready to go?” Don chuckled. “Just don’t go too crazy, April. I have nothing to hold onto back here.” Connor laughed. “I’m watching her, babe, don’t worry. April, you know how to get out of here, turn left onto 20th and follow the signs for the 678.” The woman nodded. “Alright, let’s go!” She put the car into first gear and pulled out of the parking lot, getting into the left-turn lane. Turning her signal on, she put the car into Neutral and stopped at the restraining line. Don was amazed. “Connor, you weren’t kidding, she really has learned!” April laughed. “Yeah, I actually feel kind of comfortable right now. It’s weird.” Connor chuckled. “Raph said I was some sort of superhuman, able to teach anyone anything. Maybe that’s true.” 

The light turned green, and April started the car off again. “Alright, Connor, I have a question. When I’m making a left turn like this, should I be in first or second?” Connor paused. “Well, it depends on what you’re doing. Usually, I shift to second in the middle of the turn. You can do that, or you can shift once you straighten out up here.” April nodded. “I’m just going to shift once I straighten out, if that’s okay. I’m not the best multitasker.” Connor smiled. “At least you know your limitations, and that’s a good thing. A lot of these people on the roads don’t know the limits of their cars or what they can handle mentally before they break.” 

April smiled. “Thanks, Connor. I guess that means I’m above average?” Connor chuckled. “Well, you are driving a manual transmission car with me and a disguised turtle in it, so that might explain a few things.” April smiled. “Okay, question. I’m in second. This road is forty miles an hour, what gear should I be in?” “Try to get into fourth. You don’t have to go into third, you can skip it if you want to.” April looked confused. “You can skip gears?” Connor nodded. “Yep, say I start in second gear because the roads are all icy, or I go from second to fifth after revving it out. However, going down, you should go down one gear at a time unless you really know the car you are driving. I can go from fifth to third, but I wouldn’t want you to.” April laughed as she shifted into fourth gear. “When do you get into fifth?” “Well, in this car, I like to shift into fifth above about forty-five if I’m just cruising around. But, this is a manual car, so you choose when to shift.” 

April chuckled. “That is true. So say I’m about to merge onto the highway, like right here. Would I hold each gear longer until I got to the speed I needed to be at?” Connor smiled. “Exactly. Remember how I said to shift into second at fifteen miles an hour in the parking lot? On the road, if I need to get going quick I’ll hold it out to about twenty five before putting it into second. Also, merging up here, you’ll have the chance to floor it. This car has like no power, so you need to.” The woman laughed. “Okay, I’ll try it. I won’t be going all crazy though I think.” She turned on her right turn signal to get onto the exit, and then asked another question. “So, when I have to slow down and possibly roll onto this exit, what do I do?” “Well, you slow down and shift it down to second below about thirty miles per hour, using that little throttle trick. After you are in second, you can still slow down to make the corner.” 

April nodded. “Okay, so slow down and shift down a couple of times to get into second, and then turn?” Connor chuckled. “Exactly, you got this. Now, once you make the corner you can punch it and hold second gear to about fifty before shifting into third and merging.” The woman then made the quick right hander, putting the throttle to the floor. She started to giggle. “This is so much fun!” Don laughed as he heard that. “Isn’t it?” She held second until about fifty miles per hour like Connor said to, and then shifted into third, merging onto the highway. “Okay, now I’m on, what do I do now?” Connor smiled before replying. “Drop it into fifth. The engine will calm down, and you don’t need to do anything else from here on unless there’s traffic.” Don chuckled as April shifted. “Yeah, on the highway it’s almost identical to an automatic car, April.” The woman then nodded. “Well, that’s the easiest part of this, right?”

Connor laughed. “It pretty much is. It’s a simple cruise, using the gas to maintain your speed like in any other car. You only need to worry about shifting if you are getting off the highway or get stuck in traffic.” April nodded again. “Got it. This whole driving-stick thing has been way easier than I expected it to be, Connor. You’re a great teacher, you know that?” The teenager laughed in response. “I apparently do now. I still don’t really think I am that good, but that’s the impostor syndrome kicking in...” Don sat up in an instant and wrapped his arms around his lover. “Babe, you’re not an imposter. You are a great teacher, and you do belong here. Imagine if you didn’t. I wouldn’t be with you right now.” “Yeah, that’s true. But you know how this bullshit works, you’ve dealt with it. You’re actually smart and shit, but you can’t internalize it. That’s where I am right now.” 

Don squeezed around the seat a bit tighter after hearing that. “Look babe, April’s driving us to her place. Earlier, she wouldn’t have been able to. You taught her and it worked.” April nodded. “You really are a good teacher, Connor. Casey wasn’t able to teach me over the course of a week, yet here we are in an hour and I’m driving stick on the six-seventy eight.” Connor shook his head. “I know, but it’s hard to accept. Fuck, I taught Mikey how to drive in Forza, and he’s rivaling Raph. It’s just… weird. Like Raph said, I’m superhuman in a way when it comes to this kind of thing. I don’t know why, I’ve never had the drive to teach anyone about anything, ever.” April chuckled. “Even if you didn’t, it doesn’t mean you suck at it.” Connor laughed. “Man, I just thought of something Jeremy Clarkson said once.” Don groaned after his lover said that. “What did Jezza say?” “It was something like if you have no interest in food, you shouldn’t cook. He related it to cars, but it makes sense. I guess I took that to heart.” 

Don continued to hold his lover as April merged off the 678, onto the 495. “Connor, I think I’m about to come up to some traffic. What do I do?” Connor snapped back into reality. “Well… It depends on how fast it’s moving. Is it gridlocked?” April shook her head in response. “Okay, then you might have to alternate between second and third depending on how fast it’s moving.” The woman then nodded. “I think I’ll figure it out, right?” Connor nodded. “You’ll be fine. This kind of traffic isn’t that bad compared to being completely gridlocked.” April groaned a bit as she went down the ramp for 495, slowing down and downshifting to merge into traffic. “I’m gonna go through some lanes, if that’s okay.” “No, no that’s fine. Just get us through this, April. Remember, you’ll need to go through the tunnel again.” 

April nodded. “Okay, can do. Any tips for driving stick in traffic?” “Try to keep rolling, even if it’s at like two miles an hour. It’s easier to start off when you’re rolling versus going full stop and go. Although, this just slow traffic doesn’t need that, I think you would be fine in third until it clears up.” Don chuckled. “She’s got it, babe. You know it.” Connor laughed. “I know, I’m just making sure.” April waved her hand in the air to stop Don. “It’s okay Don, I asked for the advice, and he gave it to me.” Don chuckled before leaning back again, still holding Connor’s hand. “Alright, alright. Anyway, April, what do you think you’re going to say to Casey after all of this?” The woman laughed. “I won’t say anything, I’ll just show him. That should say everything.” Don laughed. “I guess that works. You maybe going to drive his old truck around when we go back to the farm?” April nodded. “I’ve never really driven the thing, and I like the thing. So, maybe I can persuade him to come with me and I’ll show him I can drive stick now.” 

Connor looked over to April and smiled. “That’s the way to show him. I can’t wait before he walks to me with a twisted face asking me why you learned all this shit, and how he couldn’t teach you. That will be worth it, I think. Priceless.” April laughed in reply. “Yeah, also we’re almost at the tunnel.” She looked up and saw the EzPass box on the windshield. “With the EzPass, I slow down and get in line and stop, then just go first gear before it lets me through?” Connor nodded. “Exactly. Like when you were in that parking lot, starting the car off. Except instead of shifting, you stop again. And repeat. And again.” April laughed. “Let me guess, that’s what gridlock traffic is like.” Connor nodded. “Except add a healthy smattering of road rage for good measure.” 

Don laughed. “He is right. If you think traffic is bad in an automatic, try driving stick.” April laughed. “I am right now, aren’t I?” Don hung his head down. “I forgot this car was stickshift… You’re just as rough with it as your van, so I forgot.” Connor laughed. “And that is what we’re going to alleviate tonight, babe. She is going to learn how to drive more smoothly, and possibly faster too.” April smiled. “I can’t wait. Too bad we have to wait for the store to close.” Connor groaned. “The only place in New York with a parking lot big enough for us to do this stuff just has to be open late.” As the three went into the Queens-Midtown Tunnel again, April was as calm as she could be, not showing any more nervous tendencies. 

“So, April. Don asked you this earlier, but what do you think of driving stick? Annoying? Fun? Weird?” April laughed. “It’s fun, but it can be slightly annoying at times. I generally like driving an automatic in this city traffic, but now I understand why people like driving stick. Also, I’m not as nervous as I used to be, now that I’m kind of used to it.” Connor smiled. “I’m glad you’re that comfortable with it now. You were pretty excited to learn, has it lived up to the hype?” “Oh yeah it has. I want to buy a manual car now to have some fun in…” The human teen then laughed. “I think we have a newly minted car girl in our hands, babe.” 

Don chuckled. “What kind of car would you want April? I’m guessing probably something that’s the complete opposite from your van.” April thought for a second. “I don’t know what I actually want, to be honest. I’m thinking maybe some kind of sporty luxury kind of thing. I don’t want something too small like a Miata, or something too big.” Connor thought and rattled off a couple of model names to Don. “I’m thinking maybe E46 330Ci or maybe a G35 or G37. What about you, babe?” “Both of those are pretty good. April, do you want a coupe or a sedan?” “I want a coupe. I don’t really need the backseats all that often, and if I need to carry something, I’ll still have my van.” Connor’s eyes lit up. “I guess I’m on a car hunt tomorrow. Could I drop by your place so we can browse some listings?” April nodded. “Sure, sounds great. But first, let’s do the stuff we need to get done tonight.” 

Getting out of the tunnel, April slowed down and started working her way through the Manhattan streets. “So, are we going to my place?”, she asked as she stopped at a red light. “Yeah, we are. I thought it would be kind of dumb to make two separate trips.” The woman then nodded. “Okay, I have a question, it may sound pretty stupid.” Connor shook his head. “No such thing as a stupid question.” “So, when I go to park, what do I do?” Connor smiled. “It’s easier than you think. First, you actually stop and pull up the handbrake. Next is shut off the car in Neutral. Then, shift it into first.” April looked confused. “Why put it into first?” “Well, it locks the wheels with the engine. In a front-wheel drive car like this, the engine keeps the front wheels from moving while the handbrake locks up the rear wheels.” April nodded. “Okay, I get it now. Thanks, Connor.” 

Connor chuckled in reply. “You’re welcome, April. How far are we?” “About like three minutes. Also, I have another question. I need to reverse to parallel park. Is it just like using first?” “Well, yes and no. It’s the same starting off process, but you don’t get off the bite point. If you fully release the clutch, the car is going to shoot off backwards way faster than you want it to.” Don laughed at that. “April, you only release the clutch if you want to do some stunt driving stuff like Connor here.” His lover sighed in reply. “Yeah, pretty much. If you are me and want to do some me-like things, then sure go ahead and release it.” April smiled. “Well, we are here now, time for me to try this reversing thing.” She put the car into Reverse and then slowly eased off the clutch, making sure to stay on the bite point. She backed into the spot, stopping and putting the car into first to finish the maneuver. Connor started clapping. “That was a reverse job well done!” Don laughed. “Yep, that was pretty good April. You really learned this driving stick thing well.” April blushed. “Thanks Don. Also, thanks Connor for teaching me. I never knew I would like it this much.” 

Connor chuckled. “It’s no problem. Now, just park like I told you and we’re good to go.” April nodded, putting the car into Neutral and pulling the handbrake. She shut it off, and then shifted into first. “Okay, here’s your keys, Connor,” she said as Connor took the keys. “Do I need to do anything else?” Connor shook his head. “You’re good. Just have to unbelt and get out, like any other car.” April smiled as she opened the door and got out. Connor got out, letting his boyfriend out of the back. Don stretched as soon as he got out and cracked his back. “Yeah, that back seat is fine… but I’m not the right size for it, babe.” Connor chuckled. “Sorry for stuffing you back there. You know I had to watch what was going on.” Don nodded. “I know, but god damn. You driving back?” Connor smiled. “You wanna drive, babe? That’s fine.” The turtle then grinned. “Yes! You mind if I beat on it a bit?” Connor shook his head. “I’m afraid this thing would start breaking if I didn’t give it a thrashing soon. The only reason it lives is because I drive it hard.” 

Don chuckled as he walked around to the driver’s side, sliding the seat back and closing the door. Connor held up the “wait a second” gesture to his lover before walking into April’s shop. Connor walked in the door and April leapt and clasped her arms around him. “Thank you so much for all this so far, Connor. I can’t wait for tonight.” Connor chuckled. “It’s okay April. If it gets me hugs like this, I’m all for it. Also, speaking of all for it, I’m going to clear out Don’s old room tomorrow. Make it into a little workshop so we can start this whole old electronics thing.” April smiled. “That would be great, Connor. Tell me when you’re ready for some stuff to fix and I’ll bring it over. Also, I’ll meet you guys at eleven so we can do… well, whatever you plan for us to do.’ Connor chuckled again. “Okay, can do. We gotta go now, I think Don’s getting impatient.” April laughed. “Alright, see you later, April.” Connor then walked out of the shop, getting into the Escort.

* * *

1:52 PM

* * *

Don chuckled when Connor got into the Escort. “What was that all about?” Connor shook his head. “Honestly, I don’t even know. She hugged me and I asked her about the whole fixing computers thing. She said she’ll be back at the lair at eleven, like we planned.” Don nodded as he pulled the Escort out of the parking spot. “I’m proud of you, babe,” Don commented. “April had like no hope for driving stick, like ever. That’s what Casey told me, she completely fucked it up in his old truck. But, somehow… Something you did flipped that on its head. She drove us all the way home with only a couple of questions, and she figured out the rest. Isn’t that amazing?” Connor nodded. “I still don’t know what I did, to be honest. I just taught her as honestly as I could, and it seemed like it worked. Now she wants a manual car to have fun in.” Don chuckled. “That part is the most surprising, to be honest. Before that, she hated driving and just drove her van because she had to. You turned her onto cars just from teaching her stick. You woke up the inner car girl in her… I thought it didn’t even exist.” 

Connor started laughing. “Maybe Raph was right, I am some type of superhuman, in mentality alone at least. Physically, I couldn’t be farther from superhuman.” Don chuckled. “No, but Raph’s helping you out with that, even if you aren’t really the ninja fighters we are trained to be. By the way, how was that workout?” Connor sighed. “I don’t know shit about weights or anything, but Raph was surprised. I benched 85 pounds.” Don’s eyes widened. “Really? That’s quite a bit for someone your size, especially for your first time. You don’t look like you are strong, but you can be, it seems like.” Connor blushed a bit. “Thanks, babe. I just feel kind of weird today, like I’m not me.” “I can tell. Anything I can do to help?” “Well, some cuddling might help while we plan this all out.” The turtle then laughed. “I can do that for you, babe. Now, let’s get home, huh?” Connor chuckled. “Sounds like a plan.” 

About five minutes later, Don pulled into the garage and parking the Escort in its lift bay. Don turned it off and the two of them got out of the car. Connor rushed over to Don and hugged him. “I love you, babe. I guess today has just been an emotional day for us, and that’s fine. We have each other, and that’s all that matters, right?” Don chuckled. “Hang on, I still look like a human.” He pushed a button his phone and he then turned back into his turtle form. “How about now, babe?” Connor simply stared at his lover. “You definitely look better as a turtle. Not saying your human form is ugly… it actually looks like you would if you were human. But you’re my sexy turtle, not my average human.” Don blushed at the compliment. “Let’s go down, babe. I think they’re waiting for us to get back, and we gotta update them about the April situation before cuddling and planning her whole adventure…” The human laughed at the comment. “Okay, fine. Oh, do you happen to have any cones?” Don shook his head. “I don’t, sorry.” Connor shook his head. “I guess I will have to steal some from the friendly New York DOT then. I need them to set up a course.” Don chuckled. “Okay, I know of some construction sites we can hit.” The two then started to walk toward the elevator. Pressing the button, Connor held Don’s hand, which made the turtle grin. “Love you, Connor,” he said. “I love you too, Don.” 

The two sat in the elevator not saying anything, because nothing had to be said. Silence was enough for the two, since their touching was all the communication the two needed. When the doors opened, they continued holding each other’s hand when they walked down the stairs. They sat on the side sofa and Connor leaned on Don’s shoulder. Leo saw them walk over and started the conversation. “So, what happened? April’s not here.” Connor chuckled. “I taught her how to drive stick, apparently so well that she was able to drive home without screwing it up.” Leo’s eyes widened. “Really? She drove home?” Don nodded. “It only took her about forty-five minutes for it to really click. It surprised me too, Leo.” The blue-banded turtle sat down. “You taught April how to drive stick well enough to drive home after 45 minutes… jeeze. Connor, you must be some kind of crazy teacher.” 

Connor laughed. “Three people have said that to me today, now four. I still don’t think I am, but it must be true. April’s also meeting us at eleven for the actual driving lessons. I’d like the four of you to come, maybe even Splinter would like to tag along.” The rat appeared pretty much out of nowhere after Connor said that. “Tag along for what, my son?” Connor laughed. “I keep forgetting about the ninja master thing. Anyway, later tonight I am taking April out to the parking lot we were just at teaching her how to handle her van at its limit. I don’t know if you would like to go along with us. If not, I think I can record it and put it into some sort of video so you can watch it later.” 

Splinter chuckled. “Yeah, the time you all are going over there is much later than I am usually asleep. However, if you can put a video together I would appreciate it. It would be nice to see what you all were doing out there, after all.” Connor smiled. “I can figure that out, sensei. I don’t know how long it’ll take to get the video together and chop it all up and edit.” Splinter smiled. “I’m in no rush, son. Take your time.” Connor chuckled. “Alright, add that to the list then. Speaking of the list... Don, we have to plan what we’re doing.” The turtle looked over confused and then remembered. “Oh yeah, right. Sorry.” The two then got up and walked into Connor’s room. Leaving the door open, the two got on the bed and laid against each other. “I love you, babe. You’re my antidepressant, you know that?” Don chuckled. “I do now. So, what do you think we should do with the parking lot?” Connor paused for a second with a pensive look. “Hmm, you did measure the distance between the islands in the front?” “Yep, they’re about 25 feet apart.” 

Connor chuckled. “That would be perfect for a slalom. Granted, there are light poles next to them, call that an extra obstacle. I have an idea for a course.” Don’s eyes widened. “You do?” Connor nodded. “Let me get a piece of paper and a pen. I’ll see if I can draw it out real quick.” The human then got off the bed and got a piece of copy paper and a pen. He licked his lips as he drew a series of boxes and ovals and a few lines with arrows through them. “Alright, this was in my head. I think it might work.” Don looked over to the paper and saw an intricate course laid out. “Did you make this because it incorporates so many different maneuvers?” Connor nodded. “A decreasing radius corner, a large slalom, a couple of chicanes here and there. Generally touching on all bits of car control. In that van, especially in a couple of these corners, it’ll want to understeer or oversteer depending on what you want to do. Too much throttle, the front end will wash out. Too little or stabbing on the brakes mid-corner, and the back end will start to swing around.” 

Don’s eyes widened. “Can I help you with any of this?” Connor nodded. “Maybe you can draft up a quick scale 3D model of the lot?” “Hmm, I can, but why?” The human laughed. “I’ll show you after you do that.” Don smiled. “I guess this another surprise, huh babe? I’m going to the lab to do that, I guess you’re gonna be researching how to teach some of these maneuvers?” Connor nodded. “I’ll be waiting for you.” The two then kissed before Don left the room. Opening up YouTube on his laptop, Connor searched “Canada’s Worst Driver” and then loaded up season thirteen. While laughing at the antics of the bad drivers, he then took mental notes whenever Philippe Letourneau started instructing the drivers, especially in how to do a reverse 180, or spinning the car around from reverse to forward in a straight line. Connor knew how to do a handbrake turn already, shifting the weight a bit before pulling the lever and locking up the rear wheels, but he never had to teach anyone how to do a reverse 180. 

But, there were other problems he needed to sort out first. Pulling out his phone, Connor opened up Amazon and brought up a sous-vide immersion circulator. Sous-vide is a technique to get the most perfectly cooked meats without much hassle, but he didn’t have the right equipment to do so for their Valentine’s Day dinner. He ordered an Anova model, and had it shipped to an Amazon Locker near the lair so he could pick it up Monday. He could have used Prime Now, but it would have costed more and he still had nowhere to ship it to. Smiling, he locked his phone and continued watching the show, hoping Don didn’t see anything.

The turtle then walked into the room with a flash drive, watching the show along with the human. Wrapping his arms around Connor, the turtle smiled. Connor paused the show and squeezed his lover back. “Done already?”, the human asked. Don nodded. “It’s on this flash drive. So, you’re going to teach her how to do a reverse 180?” Connor grinned in response. “Yes, I am. It’ll teach her how to shift the weight around, and it’s fun to pull off. Also, it’s an evasive maneuver, so if someone boxes her in, she can easily back out, swing it around, and get the fuck out of there.” Don chuckled. “Okay, what are you going to do with this model?” Connor turned off the video and opened up a small program. Inserting the flash drive into his laptop, he grabbed the model and what materials the parking lot was made out of, mostly asphalt. It then spit out another file, and Connor dragged it into another directory. “Watch this.” He then opened a game called BeamNG.Drive. Don looked confused. “You’re telling me you made that model into a map for this game?”

Connor started laughing. “That’s exactly what I did. Now, I can set up the course virtually and drive around it to see if there’s anything I need to watch for.” Don pretty much attacked Connor with a kiss after he said that. “You are pretty smart, babe. I would have never thought of doing that.” Connor smiled and returned the kiss. “Now, watch this.” He loaded up a van very similar to April’s, and set up cones around the place to mark a course. He then got in the van and started to rip around the course with intense focus. He held the van on its limit of grip for multiple seconds at a time, using the throttle and left-foot braking to keep it together. Slaloming through the islands, he got the wheels about three inches from the curb, using a double-apex technique to get around them. Turning left down a row, he then hucked the van into a decreasing-radius corner, using a bit of a weight shift to keep the front end in line. Don just watched this in amazement, surprised at both how quickly Connor could hustle the van around the virtual parking lot, and how close he got to curbs and cones.

To add to the surprise though, Connor had set a single cone in the middle of the lot. Don wondered what it was for, but then Connor weight shifted the van around the cone and pulled a handbrake turn, and then went into Reverse to finish the whole show. Backing up to about 30 miles per hour, he then flicked the van around, stopping at a marked line. “So, babe. You think April will like that?” Don simply stared in amazement. “Uhhhhhhhh…..” was all he could mumble out before Connor hugged him. “Babe, you okay?”, the human asked. Don just started laughing. “That looks like it would be so much fun. I gotta give it a try in real life.” Connor chuckled. “You’ll have the chance to, babe. But for now, you can give the in-game version a try.” 

Don chuckled as he grabbed the controller and reset the van. “This like every racing game ever?” Connor nodded. “Triggers are gas and brake, left stick is steering, A is handbrake and X and B are shifting.” The turtle smiled as he set off, driving the van less aggressively around the course. He continued to smile as he steered the van around the grass islands, not getting quite as rowdy as Connor did, but he was very smooth. Don stopped as he reached the section where Connor spun the van around twice. “So, what do I do here, babe?” Connor smiled. “You know how to do a handbrake turn, shift the weight a bit and whip it around. Next is the reverse 180. Go into reverse and get to about twenty-five to thirty,” Connor said before holding his hands up. “Put in a half-lock of steering in like this as you jump off the gas. Then, whip the wheel all the way around the other way. As the van spins around, straighten it out and grab Drive.” 

Don nodded as he floored the van’s throttle, swinging around the cone and pulling the handbrake, pulling off a sloppy handbrake turn. He then grabbed Reverse, hurtling the van to about thirty miles per hour before doing the half-turn-then-full-lock thing Connor told him to. The van came around, and Don grabbed Drive and went forward, stopping at the line and parking. “How did I do, babe?” “Pretty well, but you have to initiate a bit harder on the handbrake turn. Don’t be weak when you chuck it in. Try it again.” Don smiled as he turned the van around, heading toward the cone again. He turned in a bit harder as he pulled the handbrake, and the van slid around a full 180 degrees. “There you go, babe. You got it. Now, do the reverse 180 again.” Don slotted the van into reverse and got it to thirty miles an hour before doing the steering technique, spinning the virtual van all the way around. “This is so much fun…” Don commented. Connor chuckled. “I know it is. Now, I’m probably going to teach everyone this bit, because it’s the most useful for evasive driving. I doubt you guys are as jerky at driving as April is. Doesn’t mean you can’t run through the first part of the course, but you don’t need my help in doing so.” 

Don laughed. “Yeah, that’s for sure. Although, Mikey and Leo might need a little more coaching. Raph and I drive for fun and we know what to do. He’ll have fun hustling that van around, but he doesn’t need help. Mikey is a little… exuberant in driving. You saw that when he was playing Forza, always on one pedal or the other. Leo has no mechanical sense, so he tries things that might work, but he is conservative to say the least. He can drive, but he can’t really…. drive… if you know what I mean. He can figure out how to drive quickly, but he wouldn’t get the logic behind contact patches or weight shifts. He kind of... wings it. He’d just as easily put in a good lap time as he would spinning out.” Connor laughed. “I guess I can help him out a bit too, tell him how to go faster and faster without fear of breaking anything. I’m assuming that’s what he needs, along with explaining some of the dynamics.” Don nodded. “That sounds about like what he needs. I can’t wait, this is going to be so much fun.” 

Connor paused and thought for a second. “Splinter did want me to film all of this and make into a video, so I need to go and get a couple of cameras. Can you come with me to B&H?” The turtle grinned. “What do you need?” “A few cameras for different angles, and a tripod. Oh, by the way, if I am going to be editing all of this together, I might need to borrow your computer for some rendering power. My laptop is okay, but when editing videos, it slows to a crawl.” Don chuckled. “Sure, and to be honest, I don’t even use my computer for what it’s worth. I’m guessing my processor and graphics card will speed things up significantly.” Connor smiled before kissing Don. “Thanks, babe. I appreciate it. Now, I’m going to tell Leo where we’re going, so he doesn’t worry. Go get in the Escort while I do that.” Don grinned before he pinned the human down and started kissing him. “I fucking love you, you know that?” he said before Connor chuckled. “Like I didn’t before... Now, get up there before I make you, big boy.” 

Don grinned after the human said that. “And what if I don’t? It’s not like you are going to overpower me…” Connor shook his head as he growled. “How about I let you not sleep with me tonight? Lay your ass on the couch where it belongs tonight.” Don then paled and ran toward the elevator, fearing if his lover would actually make him sleep on the couch. Connor busted out laughing before walking down the stairs, spotting the blue-banded in the dojo, practicing some of the katas they missed out on that morning. Connor poked his head in before commenting. “Apparently I fucked you guys up so badly you had to redo it all over?” Leo started laughing as he paused the practice. “No, I just generally practice because I want to. What’s up?” “Oh, I am going to B&H with Don. I need to pick up some cameras and other camera gear before starting all of this. I intend to make it more than just like a home video, I want it more of a professional quality, if that makes sense.” Leo shook his head. “Don’t you think you’re going a bit overboard?” Connor chuckled. “Overboard is my middle name… anyway I just wanted to tell you before we left. I know you like keeping tabs.” Leo nodded. “Alright, thanks for telling me. Now if you don’t mind, I’m getting back to my practice.” 

Connor laughed in response. “Alright, I’m off. See you later.” Leo waved as Connor went up the stairs, grabbing his essentials and opening the elevator. Standing in the elevator alone felt lonely, but that feeling was erased when the doors opened and the human saw his lover at the workbench, humming and hawing over his shop manual. Connor just laughed at the sight. “Babe, you reading my shop manual?” Don nodded. “It’s pretty interesting. Also, I read there’s a model with a dual-cam engine. Do you have one?” Connor shook his head and chuckled. “Nope, I have the basic bitch model. However, I do want to get a Escort GT parts car and swap all the parts over after upgrading them.” Don smiled. “Maybe I can help you with that, Raph too. Too bad it’s going to be expensive.” The human then started laughing. “Yeah, that’s the problem with cars. They’re expensive. As they say, boys don’t grow up, their toys just get bigger and more expensive.” 

Don chuckled. “Isn’t that true… I want to put more power into the Battle Shell, but it’ll cost like six grand for all the power stuff I want to add.” Connor opened his driver’s door, pausing as he heard that. “What do you wanna put into the thing, babe?” Don shook his head, thinking it would never happen. “I don’t know, maybe a cam, some headers, a fuel system I can tune, and maybe some sort of transmission tuning. The 4L80E it has in it is fine, but it’s not the best for performance driving.” Connor then got into the car, putting on a poker face. The turtle didn’t know that his lover had ordered all of those parts and more, and arranged for them to get installed on the eleventh by Raph. Don opened the door and hopped into the passenger’s side, sulking a bit. “Babe, don’t worry about the Battle Shell. That’s the way I feel about my car right now. It’s kind of crushing, but that’s the life of a car guy.” Don chuckled. “Yeah, that’s true. It’ll take a while to save up six grand, that’s for sure.” Connor tried not to say anything, afraid he would ruin the secret. Instead, he bit his tongue and started the Escort.

Don smiled as Connor put his seat belt on. “Babe, I love you,” he said as the human looked over. “I love you too. Now, put your seatbelt on so we can go. I don’t want you to fly through my windshield… those things are kind of expensive.” The turtle laughed. “Really, babe? You care more about your windshield than me?” Connor shook his head. “In this car if we were in a crash, we would be both dead if it were still stock. That’s why I wanna put a rollcage and intrusion bars in, so it doesn’t turn you into the crumple zone. Also, it’d stiffen up the chassis and I’d like some five-point harnesses and good seats.” Don smiled. “Yeah, those things would be cool. Also, I’m turning my human generator on. We are going to be in public, you know.” Don nodded. “Right,” he commented before he pushed the button on his phone. Connor looked over and smiled. “Babe, you still look good as a human, you know that? If you were human you’d probably have people wanting to crawl over you… but I fell in love with a turtle. So, that’s why I said that earlier.” Don laughed and shook his head. “I understand. Out of ten, what do I look like as a human?” “A solid seven. That scale is like if some methed out trailer trash is one and Chris Pratt is ten.” The turtle-slash-human started laughing. “Okay, that’s a good number I got.”

Connor chuckled and shook his head. “Any recommendations for music?” Don shook his head. “Surprise me.” The human then laughed. “I figure you won’t like French rap, so how about this…” He scrolled through his playlists and pressed play on his hardstyle playlist. “This is one of my favorite genres of electronic by the way.” ‘Infinite Triumph’ started to play through the stereo, and Connor turned it up before he backed out of the lift bay, slowly driving out of the garage. As they turned left, Don just looked at Connor. “What is this?” Connor said “Shush. You’ll see.” Not ten seconds later, the beat kicked in and Connor started kickrolling* with his arm. Don saw that and started to chuckle, stopping when he noticed his foot tapping. “Fuck…” Connor looked over and saw the turtle laughing. “What’s wrong?” “I was about to laugh at you doing that with your arm, but then I noticed my foot was tapping…” Connor shook his head. “You get it now.” The human then turned left at the light, enjoying the two just having fun together. 

Connor stayed in first gear, revving it out and popping the clutch into second, chirping the tires a bit. Don shook his head. “You had to do that, didn’t you?” Connor nodded. “Of course I did. Also, one thing I am starting to hate about Manhattan is all your avenues are one-way… For me to go southbound like I am doing now, I need to make three damn left turns.” He then flicked his turn signal on and got into the turn lane. “See? It’s fucking stupid.” Don started laughing. “Atlanta doesn’t have one way avenues like this?” Connor shook his head. “Only downtown on like side streets and stuff it’s one way. If you can follow signs, you’re good. But this is a whole separate ballpark. Also, we have streets going into the twenties, not the hundred-and-thirties.” Don paused for a second. “Yeah, you’re right. Any other quibbles about Manhattan?” Connor shook his head. “I’d gladly take this over fucking 285 any day.” He then turned left onto a side street, driving down it and putting his left turn signal on again. “Alright, finally I can get on damn 2nd.” 

Don smiled. “Any other music you think I might like in this genre?” Connor paused for a second before grabbing his phone. “It’s not really the same genre, but you will probably like it.” He then put on ‘Pennywise’, pausing it a second later. “Listen to the first two minutes, it sets up the song.” He then played the song, the sounds of 911 calls and news reports playing over the speakers. He then turned left onto 2nd Avenue, a haunting circus-like melody playing over the stereo. Don started to speak then. “This song is pretty creepy, isn’t it?” Connor chuckled. “That’s the point. Now, here comes in the actual content of the song.” When the samples from IT played, Connor belted them out. “They all fall down here, and you will too!”, he said before stopping at another traffic light. 

The turtle looked over and smiled, both about how his lover loves this song and would share it even if he didn’t know if he would like it, and that he was completely comfortable around him. Right after that thought though, Connor belted out again. “WHAT’S THE MATTER, ONE BALLOON NOT ENOUGH?” The beat of the song kicked in, and Connor was violently kickrolling again and beating on the steering wheel. Don just started to laugh. “I guess you know this song, huh babe?” Connor just started to laugh along with his lover as he turned down the music. “Sorry, I maybe got a little carried away there.” He then looked over, the passenger in the car next to him was laughing. “Oh…. shit,” he mumbled out before turning red. Don started laughing. “Yeah, I think you need to tint your windows. Also, is this music played at raves and stuff?” Connor paused and thought while he pulled away at the light turning green. “Well, kind of. In what you think of as a rave, probably not. But, there are separate events for the harder styles, like the ones we’ve been listening to. You remember how ‘Defqon.1’ was repeated in that first song?”

Don nodded. “What about it?” Connor smiled. “That’s the biggest event for these genres of music. They have events now in the Netherlands and Australia. Too bad I can’t really go to any of them, because they have nothing stateside.” Don hung his head. “Well, maybe you could go in the future. Sounds like fun, though.” “It looks like it’s a blast, but the problems with any event still exist, like expensive food and long lines, to people staying awake and blasting Frenchcore at 4 in the morning when you are trying to sleep.” Don started laughing. “Is this Frenchcore bad, or is it just the people?” Connor shook his head. “Just the people. I like it, but there is a time and place for it of course. At 4AM in a tent next to you isn’t.” The disguised turtle laughed. “Yeah, that makes sense. Next song?” Connor hit play, and ‘The Promqueen’s Finest Drug’ started to play through the stereo. 

“This one is a lot less serious, so there you go.” Don listened and started to laugh. “I can tell. ‘Hard drugs is the bomb?’” Connor smiled. “Exactly.” The human continued to pilot the car down 2nd Avenue, eventually seeing the signs for 34th Street. He moved over a couple of lanes to get into the right turn lane, looking over and turning right. Don noticed. ‘So, we’re on 34th, is it a straight shot there?” Connor nodded. “All the way to 9th.” Don groaned. “That’s going to take a little while.” Connor sighed. “I know it will. But anyway, we are going to be there soon, so don’t worry. Have you ever been to B&H before?” Don shook his head. “I’ve heard about it, but never actually been.” 

Connor continued.“Well, you will love it. It’s a store just filled with all of these different kinds of technology, mostly cameras because that is their focus. They also have a conveyor system running through the roof.” Don snapped his head over. “A conveyor system?” The human smiled. “Yes, a conveyor system. You tell the sales people what you want, they put it on the conveyor, and you get a ticket. When you check out, they take the ticket and grab your stuff.” The turtle grinned. “That’s awesome. Are we going to be using it today?” Connor nodded. “Course we are.” 

The two then noticed the store up ahead. “Okay babe, we have to get out and let their attendant park the car in their little side lot.” Don shook his head. “Why?” “That’s just the way it works. Hang on, I’ll see before I commit.” He then pulled into the little side lot, getting out. The attendant walked toward Connor, and greeted him. “Hello, if you don’t mind I need to park your car.” Connor nodded as Don got out, the attendant looked into the Escort and froze. “Uh… retract that. I can’t drive stick worth a crap.” Connor chuckled. “Okay, how about I park it. You tell me where to put it.” 

“Alright, park on the little lift next to that green Explorer. I’ll go print out a ticket for you.” Connor nodded as he got back in, putting the car into first gear and crawling into the lot, turning onto the little parking lift. He then put on the handbrake and shut it off, locking the doors and getting out. The attendant stood back behind Connor, holding a ticket. “Alright, here you are. I’m sorry I couldn’t park it for you.” Connor shook his head and laughed. “That’s alright. I prefer parking it myself anyway. At least you told me you couldn’t drive stick versus hopping in and roasting my clutch.”

The attendant laughed at that. “I’m glad you’re not angry about it. Here’s your ticket, if you spend over $100 inside, the parking is free.” “Alright, thank you.” Connor then walked out of the parking lot, holding Don’s hand as they walked across the street. The human snapped his neck back and saw the attendant lift the Escort into the air, creating another space under it. Don just laughed. “I’m glad that attendant let you park it. I was worried there for a second.” Connor sighed. “I was too, babe. I don’t really trust anyone outside of our little family with my car. I’m really possessive of the damn thing.” Don chuckled. “I can tell. Anyway, let’s go inside. I’m kind of excited.” The two then walked through the doors, and Don’s eyes widened. “Whoa….” was all he could say before Connor chuckled. “Didn’t I tell you? Look up.” The turtle then craned his neck to look at the ceiling. “You weren’t kidding! That’s so cool.” Connor shook his head. “Alright, I’m going to let you free in here. Don’t break anything, we have an hour before we need to be back in the car.” Don nodded. “Alright, babe. Get whatever you need, I’ll meet you outside.” 

The two then split up, Don headed toward the professional gear while Connor went upstairs to look at the action cameras. He looked around the shelves. He really didn’t have GoPro money, so he looked at specifically a Yi branded action camera. A salesman walked over. “Hello, are you looking at action cameras?” Connor nodded. “More specifically these Yi ones. How do they stack up compared to say a GoPro Hero3 or something, especially in low-light?” The salesman paused. “Well, in terms of quality, they are right there. But there are of some features omitted and GoPro-specific features you don’t get, of course. But in terms of quality, they are rather good, especially for the price.” Connor smirked. “Also, how good are the built-in microphones?” The salesman smiled. “They will tend to get washed out over say 110 decibels, but they do auto-range like the GoPros do.” Connor grinned. “Okay, I’ll take three of these. Now, I need a few more things.” 

The salesman smiled as he grabbed three boxes from a cabinet, putting them into a little box attached to the conveyor system. He pushed a button, and the cameras were transported up and along the system. “Alright, take this ticket. When you go to check out, give them this and they will ring it up.” Connor nodded. “I guess you’re getting the whole setup today?” The teenager nodded again. “Yeah, it’s a little last minute. We have something going on tonight and I completely blanked out on the cameras.” 

The salesman chuckled as he sat against a cabinet. “Alright, there’s those. Anything else you need, sir?” Connor smiled. “Just a tripod, a head mount, and some memory cards.... I’m guessing those are downstairs?” The salesman nodded. “Downstairs by all of the DSLRs. They shouldn’t be too hard to find.” Connor took the ticket and smiled. “Thank you for the help. I was freaking out about getting all of this stuff.” The salesman grinned. “No worries, I do miracles every day.” Connor laughed. “Yeah, it is a miracle. Alright, thank you.” Connor then walked off, holding his ticket. Heading down the stairs, he caught Don in the professional audio section. Connor walked over quietly, leaning his head on the turtle’s shoulder. “I got the cameras. What are you looking at?” Don chuckled. “I’m looking at a mixer. I don’t need one, but they look so cool…” The human laughed. “Now you understand my plight. By the way, I need to grab a tripod and a chest mount. You think you can help me with that?” Don nodded. “Sure. I still want to look at a couple more things, though.”

Connor smiled. “No problem. I wanted to look at the studio monitors, since I am such an audio nerd after all. Can’t get much better than what they use in the studios.” Don shook his head in response. “Not really, but the speakers you have at home do rival what they have here for hundreds of dollars.” Connor grimaced. “Yeah, that is true. But you know how it is. You want the thing, so you make an excuse to buy it.” Don nodded. “Yep, that’s the hard part. Let’s go get your other stuff so we can go. It looks like there’s a line at the checkout, so that won’t help.” Connor nodded before speaking. “Alright, you get a tripod, I get a mount and the memory cards.”

Ten minutes later, Don grabbed a tripod, and Connor met him, holding a head mount and three class 10 32GB memory cards. “Alright, let’s get out of here, babe.” Don whimpered. “I know we have to get out of here, but I want to stay forever…” Connor laughed. “I know, me too. But alas, we have an hour limit on our parking.” Don hung his head down while they went to the checkout line. Getting up to a register, the cashier greeted them. “Hello guys, have you found everything you needed?” Connor nodded. “We have, thank you. We have these too,” he said as he handed the lady the ticket. “Okay, I will get these from the back, it will take only a moment.” The cashier went into a back room, as Don squeezed Connor’s hand. “Love you babe,” the disguised turtle said. Connor chuckled. “Love you too. You might need to let go of my hand before she comes back though. I need to pay...” Don chuckled as he let go. “Okay, babe.” 

Not five seconds later, the cashier came back with three boxes. She scanned them along with the tripod, head mount, and cards. “That will be two hundred and fifty dollars and fifteen cents.” Connor smiled as he put his debit card into the reader, putting his PIN in. The receipt started printing out, and the cashier grabbed a bag. She bagged all of the gear up into a bag and put the receipt in there. “Alright, here you go. If you need to return any of these due to malfunction or failure, bring it back along with this receipt and we will gladly replace it.” Connor nodded. “Thank you so much. Come on, Don.” The turtle followed Connor out, chuckling. “Jesus, babe. Two hundred and fifty bucks for a video for Splinter.” 

As the two crossed the street, the attendant noticed Connor coming up. The man walked to the front of the lot, and Connor nodded his head in the typical male fashion. “Need to see my receipt?” The attendant shook his head. “From all you have in your hands now, I can figure you spent enough. I’ll move the car under yours so we can lower it back down.” Connor nodded. “Thanks. What’s your name, bud?” “Brian. You?” “Connor. Nice to meet you, Brian.” Brian then got into the minivan under the Escort, moving it out of the way. He then lowered the lift and nodded for Connor to get into his car and move it off the lift. The teenager then hopped into his car and started it, moving it off the lift and gesturing for Don to get in.

The humanized turtle got in and chuckled. “So, what about this whole video thing. Why did you go all overkill?” Connor shook his head. “No such thing as overkill. Plus, I needed the cameras anyway eventually. I can give one to Mikey, he’d love to film some stuff on it and do basic edits, since he is the most creative of you guys in a way. A way to branch out instead of just drawing. It also takes pictures and stuff too, so maybe he can try time lapse stuff.” Don froze for a second, thinking. “You know what, you’re right. I never had that idea, but he would love it.” Connor stopped to think. “When is his birthday?” “March the twenty-sixth, why?” “Well, I maybe want to get him one of those Wacom tablets and a laptop for his birthday. Move him away from paper, possibly get him to start drawing things digitally. Possibly post it on the internet, let him make some money from his raw talent.” 

Don nodded. “That sounds like a good idea, it’ll be helpful for him, I think.” Right after Don said that though, someone cut out in front of Connor. The human then slammed on the brakes and laid on the horn. “IT’S CALLED A MIRROR YOU CUNT! USE THEM!”, he yelled out. Don looked over to his lover and saw his eyes turned to that red color. He wasn’t going to say anything though, because when Connor was mad, things can go south quick. Too bad the human was still fuming. “NOW YOU’RE GOING SEVENTEEN FUCKING MILES AN HOUR RIGHT AFTER YOU WERE IN SUCH A RUSH TO CUT IN FRONT OF ME! FUCK YOU!” Don snorted at the commentary while Connor continued the tirade. “Are you going to turn or are you just going to signal and not move the fuck over? No? You’re just going to be halfway into my lane. Thank you for that. I highly appreciate it…” 

As the human steered the car around the woman who was on the phone, Don held his hand. “Babe, it’ll be okay. Your ranting is pretty funny, but I hate seeing you all mad like this.” Connor shook his head. “You saw what that bitch did back there. She deserves more than that. Anyway, we’re about to get onto 3rd, so hang on.” The left turn light for 3rd Avenue turned green, and Connor held as much speed through the corner as he could, getting into the second lane. “Now, up to 52nd and the garage.” Don nodded. “Yep, exactly. I think you’re starting to understand Manhattan, only about like four days in.” Connor grinned. “I thought Atlanta was confusing, but New York has to take the cake.” 

About seven minutes later, Connor eased into the garage, making sure to engine brake back in. Turning into his lift bay, he stopped and parked, shutting the car off. Don got out and grabbed the bag of cameras. “Come on babe, let’s go back in the lair. We need to set up these cameras and charge them and stuff before we go out tonight.” The human nodded before commenting. “Babe, you’re still human.” Don looked down and chuckled. “That, I am.” He then pushed the button on his phone before turning back into his turtle form. Connor then froze, just staring at his lover. “That never gets old…” The turtle chuckled. “You love when I switch back, huh?” Connor nodded again. “I fucking love it.” Don chuckled. “Let’s get down there.” The two then walked to the elevator, opening the door and floating down to the lair. 

The doors opened and Connor took the bag into his room, dropping it on the bed. He then went down into the living room with Don. Leo popped his head up and smiled. “Got everything you needed?” “Yep, actually more than we needed, I did go a bit overkill. But that’s alright, this is going to look great when it’s all edited together I presume.” Leo smiled. “With you putting this all together, I can only assume it would. What did you think of the place, Don?” The purple-banded turtle only grinned. “It was amazing. I need to go back there sometime. There was so much cool stuff there.” Mikey piped up. “Too bad you don’t have the money for it, huh Don?” The red-banded turtle then slapped Mikey in the back of the head. “You sure as hell know he doesn’t, can a man window shop without you chiming in?” 

Connor chuckled. “Raph, it’s okay. I paid for this whole trip this time, it’s fine.” Don laughed. “I didn’t buy anything, anyway. I just went with Connor, and he decided what to buy and paid for it. I was just along for the ride, if you will.” The human nodded in agreement. “Anyway, now that cluster is over… I’m going to set up the cameras and charge them and stuff. Tonight, I need someone on outside camera duty. Anyone volunteer?” Mikey raised his hand. “I do, I do!” Connor chuckled. “Okay, Mikey. You can be on outside camera duty. Pretty much follow us around the parking lot as we drive through the course. Think you can do that?” Mikey nodded. “I can do that. Anything else?” Connor shook his head. “As long as you can turn a camera on and make it record and follow a car around a parking lot, that’s it. I’ll show you the tripod once I set it up.” 

Leo paused for a second. “Outside camera? How many cameras do you have planned to record?” Connor smiled in response. “Three. One outside, one inside the van attached to the driver’s head, and one maybe on the fender or something. Why do you ask?” Leo waved his hand in the air. “No reason, just wanted to know. If you have that many cameras rolling, you expect it to be a well-edited video, huh?” Connor laughed. “You know me. It’s going to be borderline movie-studio quality for only about seven people to watch in total.” Leo laughed. “So, what do you plan on doing out there anyway? I assume it’s not just going to be for April…” Don laughed at that. “No, but more like all of us. Connor and I have already set up a course for the lot, using various types of corners and different techniques to train all of us.” 

Leo nodded. “Do you have an example?” The human nodded. “Well, all of you guys are going to learn how to do a reverse 180, because if you need to get away from someone, that will be quite useful. Also, the course uses slaloms and other types of corners to really test your ability to control a vehicle. I set it up specifically to be challenging.” Leo smirked. “Sounds like fun. So everyone is going to have the chance to run through this course?” “About twenty times or so if we really need to… It’s going to be so much fun, I can guarantee that. Anyway, I gotta get up and get these cameras all charged.” Connor got up and walked up the stairs, going into his room. Raph paused. “Don, how the fuck did you two even get together? He’s like perfect for you.” 

Don froze and paled a bit. “Uh, well…we… uh….” Raph chuckled. “It’s alright, Don. I get it. What happened?” The purple banded turtle sighed. “We were coming back from the junkyard night before last. I was trying to make a move on him the whole day, especially after that breakfast, but nothing I was doing worked. I had no balls to make a move. I got in his car as we were about to leave, and when I was sulking a bit, he crawled over the center console and straddled my lap and just… grabbed me and kissed me. Like not a normal kiss either, just leapt into it. I was surprised, mostly at the fact that he reciprocated the feelings I had, not really about the kiss… and I guess... that’s how we got together.” Raph and Mikey both had their jaws wide open, and Leo was smiling. Raph regained some sort of modesty and just shook his head. “Damn, Donny. He just hit you in the face with that shit…” Don chuckled. “And it worked. It would have taken me a month to finally get through, he just said ‘fuck it’. I’m not kidding.” 

Mikey just started to laugh, because the whole situation seemed like it was made up. “You making that up, Don?” The purple-banded turtle shook his head. “Not kidding, if you still don’t believe me, ask Connor.” Mikey shook his head. “If you’re not kidding… jeeze. Nano just asked me if I liked him… because well he is a robot and doesn’t know what we go through emotionally…” Don shook his head. “He has gotten better though, that’s for sure. Now he at least understands emotions in different ways, what they are and what each mean.” Mikey nodded. “Yeah, he now understands what it means when I’m angry or sad and how to respond… he used to go into like an error mode whenever I wasn’t my normal self.” Don nodded and looked over toward Leo. “How’s Usagi doing?” Leo smiled. “Well, he’s still getting used to the New York life. He just found out the miracle of the Jamaican beef patty…” Raph laughed in response. “How many boxes has he gone through?” “About six… I guess that’s what happens when you are essentially transported forward in time about six hundred years, food changes.”

Don grinned. “Has he pretty much gotten rid of Japanese food in his diet as a whole, or?” Leo shook his head. “Normally he still has a bowl of rice and tea for breakfast, but for lunch and dinner it’s anything goes with him. He’s been on a spree trying different things, it’s cute when his ears perk up when he bites into something. His new addiction is the beef patties, before it was fried chicken. Oh, I have an idea. Maybe we can get him to come over when Connor cooks another one of those breakfasts? He would absolutely love it.” Don paused to think for a second. “You know what, that might not be a bad idea. How about we invite Nano and Usagi over later this week so we can do some sort of triple date kind of thing?” Leo and Mikey nodded. “Sounds like a good idea, Don. We just need to get Connor to agree, since he is most likely going to be slaving over that stove for a little while.” 

Don laughed. “I’m going to check in on him, so that’s that. Raph, we need to help you get into some sort of relationship, unless you want to stay single.” The red-banded turtle chuckled. “I’m good for now. You guys all being with someone is enough for me.” Leo chuckled in response as Don then headed up the stairs. The turtle was heading towards their room, and stopping as he heard music playing. It sounded like some sort of electronic, but that wouldn’t stop him from walking in. Don then continued, poking his head around the door. Connor was on the bed reclining, smiling as he saw his lover. “Come here, babe,” the human said. Don could only do so, getting on the bed and getting up close to his lover. “What have you been doing?”, Don asked. “Nothing much, charging these cameras up and setting them up over WiFi so they will be ready to go.” 

Don smiled. “I may have signed you up for something in the near future…” Connor chuckled. “Like what?” “Well, I said it was maybe a good idea to invite Usagi and Nano over, maybe over one of your famous Southern-style breakfasts.” The human laughed. “That is a good idea, I’ll cook the same amount I did last time, considering Nano doesn’t eat. What does he do with food anyway?” “Well, he gets a flavor profile of the food. Basically, tasting it without eating it. That’s close enough for him to feel the same sensations we do when we are eating, but without the energy gain.” Connor smirked. “That’s pretty damn cool. Anyway, you want to chill out here for a little while?” Don nodded. “Course I do, babe. There isn’t anyone else I would want to be with right now, and this is the prime time, until dinner anyway.” Connor grimaced a bit. “Speaking of dinner, I don’t know what we’re going to have. I’m not really in the mood to cook anything, and I doubt Mikey is either. What kind of takeout do you guys usually get outside of pizza?” 

Don paused. “Well, we normally get some kind of Asian or pizza usually. Do you have anything else in mind?” Connor nodded. “I’ve been craving a gyro. Do you guys eat Greek food?” Don shook his head. “Not usually. I guess this is another “try new food you recommend” meal. You’ll have to go and get it though.” Connor chuckled in response. “I’ll text that to Mikey. I don’t wanna get up to tell him, because that means I need to get off of you, and that’s a cardinal sin almost.” The turtle laughed as he squeezed the human against him. “I wouldn’t want you to go either, babe.” Connor then smiled as he pulled out his phone, texting Mikey. “Hey, I’m going to go and get dinner tonight. Don told me you guys don’t eat Greek all that often. I’ll go pick it up at like six or something. I’ll surprise you all.” Mikey started typing. “Okay, I’ll tell the guys. You okay up there?” “Just fine. Better than fine.” “Lol, okay.” Connor then chuckled as he locked his phone and threw it to the side of the bed, looking into his lover’s eyes.

Don looked down into Connor’s blue eyes and smiled. “I guess you have the Mikey situation all sorted out then?” “Yep, I do. I’m going to order it at like six and go and pick it up. There ought to be a few Greek spots within a few blocks of here, so I don’t even need to drive. Hang on, let me look it up.” He reached for his phone, and opened it. Looking up Greek food, there was a place on 45th and Lexington, which wasn’t too far from the lair. “Haha, that works.” Don looked over and nodded. “How far of a walk is that?” “It says 13 minutes, but I walk at a New York pace, so make that nine minutes.” Don chuckled. “Did you really say that?” “Yeah, I did. Back home, people ask me why I always walk so fast, and it’s because I can’t give a shit about waiting for the rest of them.” The turtle snorted. “That’s the New York attitude, alright.” 

Connor smiled as he squeezed the turtle. “I love you, babe.” Don simply looked down and grinned. “I love you too… hmm…” “Hmm what?” “Maybe do you think we could listen to some music?” “Sure, hang on.” Connor then got up and grabbed the keyboard, handing it to the turtle. “I have a classic rock playlist somewhere.” Don smiled as he took the wireless keyboard and scrolled through Connor’s Spotify playlists. “Haha, there it is,” the turtle commented. “Let’s see…. You like most of the stuff on this playlist?” Connor nodded. “If I didn’t like it, it wouldn’t be on my damn account.” The turtle chuckled. “You are particular about that sort of thing… Anyway, here we go.” 

Connor looked up and saw the song that was playing. “Carry on Wayward Son” was the song Don picked. The human just had to sing along with the intro. “CARRY ON MY WAYWARD SON, THERE’LL BE PEACE WHEN YOU ARE DONE…. LAY YOUR WEARY HEAD TO REST, DON’T YOU CRY NO MORE!” Don just looked over and chuckled. “That was spot-on, babe. Have you sung before?” Connor shook his head. “Just heard this song hundreds of times. The classic rock station in Atlanta seems to have an addiction to playing this song.” The turtle simply snorted a bit and held his lover closer. Connor didn’t want to move any further away from the turtle, either. After a few minutes, the song stopped and Spotify started playing some Pink Floyd. Don started the singing this time. “We don’t need no education, we don’t need no thought control… no dark sarcasm in the classroom… Teachers, leave them kids alone… HEY! TEACHERS! LEAVE THEM KIDS ALONE!” Connor chuckled. “You’d do well with a British accent, you know that?” Don laughed. “Really?” Connor shook his head. “No, not really. Your voice fits you now, not some fake accent. I’m not going to even try the Scottish guy in the end of this song.” 

Don laughed. “Yeah, that one’s a bit hard to copy... So, why did you say that anyway?” “Well, women love foreign accents. I don’t know why… I couldn’t manage to pick anyone up but you with my American Monotone, heh. I took one of those “find out where your accent is from” tests and it showed my speech really belonged in Northern California and Nevada, not the suburbs of Atlanta.” The turtle smiled. “Where do you think my speech belongs?” Connor paused to think for a second. “Somewhere in the mid-Atlantic, maybe D.C… Maybe I should get you some Mumbo Sauce.” Don chuckled. “Some what?” “Mumbo Sauce. It’s a D.C. thing. Apparently, it’s a sauce they throw on wings and fries and stuff that’s only found there in like Chinese takeout joints.” The turtle laughed. “You know what. I’ll try it. If my soul really came from D.C. or something, I’m guessing it’ll taste like home.” Connor smiled. “I guess so. We know Raph’s from Brooklyn through and through, and Mikey’s SoCal in every way. I am still stumped about Leo, though. He tries to pretend he’s Japanese… but like Mikey said to me, when he got home from Usagi’s world… he went crazy on the American life.” 

Don started laughing. “You couldn’t take that man away from his bacon cheeseburgers. He was in the same spot as Usagi was in now. For two months straight, he didn’t want a bite of rice or fish. That is also the time he got kind of depressed. Those two fell in love when Leo was off on his little adventure, and him having to come back home was a challenge. He became bitter and rather harsh toward us. Raph had to stop arguing with him, since even he was done with the bullshit. Thankfully, Leo calmed down a bit, and this was before Usagi had to flee his home world. When Usagi showed up to the lair one day, Leo couldn’t get off of the poor guy. They were inseparable for a week. Leo didn’t even want to eat without Usagi next to him.” Connor laughed. “Yeah someone should learn from that… Mister crying-because-I-was-in-the-dojo…” 

Don shook his head. “Coming from Mister-hacked-into-my-computer over here, huh? I mean… you are right. We both are kind of possessive of each other, but shit. Leo and Usagi is one pairing you did not want to split up for like any reason.” Connor chuckled. “I don’t want to split from you right now. Your touch is comforting. Oh, by the way, I need to call April. I think Casey might want to come along.” The turtle laughed. “He needs an excuse to do this kind of stuff. When he’s riding his bike with Raph, he’s a squid. Constant wheelies and fly-bys, of course. But when he’s with April, he calms down. He wants an excuse to hoon around, and that would be perfect.” Connor laughed. “Alright, I’m calling her.” Connor grabbed his phone and called April. The phone rung twice, and the woman’s voice sounded through the speaker. “Hey Connor, what’s going on?” “Nothing much, I wanted to ask if Casey maybe wanted to come with us tonight. He would love it. Also, it can be a couples’ kind of thing for you two.” April laughed. “You know what, I’ll ask. I’ll text you back if he’s coming or not.” “Alright, see you at eleven.” “Okay. Bye, Connor.” 

The human then hung up the phone, and a couple of minutes later it buzzed. Connor looked over and read the text out loud. “He would love to… he also commends you on the idea in less eloquent words of course.” Don laughed. “Reply saying Raph’ll make it a competition.” Connor chuckled as he typed. “Tell Casey that Raph will make it a competition, who’s the best man in lap times?” “He laughed at that. He thinks he’ll win.” Connor laughed as he set his phone to the side. “So, what were we doing again, babe?” Don chuckled and replied in a sarcastic tone. “I don’t know, I thought we were just cuddling, unless that’s over now.” Connor shook his head. “Nope, cuddling is good. Great, even…” The turtle grinned as the two held each other a bit closer. “I would also say being with you is great. How long until you have to go and get food?” “About forty-five minutes. Is that long enough?” 

The turtle shook his head. “It’s never long enough, to be honest. I love laying here against you. Oh, maybe after dinner can we move all of my stuff from my old bedroom into here?” Connor nodded. “Sure, just not right now. I don’t want to get off of you if my life depended on it.” 

The two continued to hold each other for the rest of the forty-five minutes, just enjoying each other’s company. There wasn’t a better feeling in the world, at least to Connor. Teaching someone how to drive stick was a great accomplishment, but lying against his lover was even better. Don loved it too, his lover setting up plans and stuff while being next to him was a great feeling. Too bad it would end soon, but between the two on the bed right now, it was good enough.

* * *

*kickrolling - a dance in the harder styles where you use your arms to beat on the time of the song, usually on every bass kick.

* * *


	10. Exuberance

* * *

RECOMMENDED LISTENING:

Pills and Automobiles - Chris Brown, Yo Gotti, A Boogie, Kodak Black

I’m not normally a fan of Chris Brown, but this track is great. Production is great, and the verses are better than you would expect.

* * *

* * *

Friday, February 2, 2018, 5:46 PM

* * *

Connor groaned as his alarm went off on his phone. Don looked over and chuckled. “That means you have to get up, huh?” The human whined a bit as he sat up. “I really didn’t want to get off of you, babe. But I have to get all of our food.” The turtle grinned. “I’m looking forward to it. What are you going to get?” “I’m going to get gyros for all of us.” Don smiled. “Sounds great. Get up there and get it, you’re making me hungry.” Connor laughed. “Alright, fine. I’ll go and get the food. Get your ass downstairs so when I get back you’re all ready.” Don laughed. “Okay, babe. I’ll tell the guys you’re going to get the food.” Connor laughed and shook his head as he laced up his boots. There was still some slush on the sidewalks, so they were needed. Next, he grabbed his wallet and jacket as he walked out of his room. 

Pressing the button to go into the elevator, he walked into the garage, walking by the Escort and pressing a button on the wall labeled “Open”. The door opened, and he walked up the ramp and got onto the sidewalk. He needed to walk west on 52nd until he reached Lexington, which meant walking about three blocks. It wasn’t very cold outside at 37 degrees Fahrenheit, but the teenager wasn’t cold. He tended to get too warm even in the cold, sweating in big coats. The question was in this weather, if everyone would be fine standing outside for up to three hours. He worried a little about April and Casey, but they were human. They also had jackets and coats and boots most likely, but the turtles were an unknown. 

Crossing the street, Connor continued down the sidewalk on Lexington Avenue. He could only think as he continued walking. The turtles all had human disguises, which means they had coats and things, but they didn’t wear shoes of any kind. Did their feet not get cold, or what? Connor stopped on the sidewalk just to look up. The skyscrapers of Midtown Manhattan were mesmerizing in this light. It was dusk, and the city all lit up was a thing of beauty. Connor smirked as he continued to walk. Lexington Avenue with various taxis and stuff on it looked like a scene that could only happen in New York. It was just missing the hot dog carts and the carriages with the poor overworked horses pulling them.

Don was in the living room, talking to his brothers. “So, yeah he went up to get our food. I have a rough idea of what he is getting, but he didn’t give me any details.” Leo nodded. “When do you think he’ll be back? I’m kind of hungry.” Raph chuckled. “I am too. I hope this food is good. How long did he say it would take, Donny?” “About fifteen minutes to get there, order and then get back. I say he gets back here before 6:30. He is walking after all, he didn’t take his car, which makes sense. Driving there and then finding a place to park will take the same amount of time.” Mikey whimpered a bit. “I’m right there with the rest of you. I’m starving.” The three other turtles laughed, and Don continued. “Mikey, you are always hungry… I’ll text him and see where he is.” Don then pulled out his phone, opening the messaging app. “A few people here are whining they are hungry, where are you?” 

Connor’s phone buzzed in his pocket. Pulling it out, he saw Don texted him. Smiling, he replied. “I’m two blocks from the place, babe. Tell them to hold their damn horses… or stomachs, if it were.” Don laughed as Raph looked in confusion. “What’s so damn funny?” “Well, it’s the way he texted me. He said he’s two blocks from the place.” Leo nodded. “Tell him to hurry it up.” Don chuckled. “Even Leo’s whining, babe.” Connor opened the door to the restaurant. “Jesus, I just got in the fuckin’ place. I’ll be back in like half an hour tops. I’ll even fucking run if it matters that much…” Don chuckled. “He’s at the place now. He also said he’ll even ‘fucking run if it matters that much’.” Raph laughed. “Sounds like Connor.” 

Connor shook his head and walked to the counter of the restaurant. The cashier looked at him and smiled. “Hello, are you ready to order?” Connor nodded. “I am. I need 6 gyros to go, one with no tomato.” The cashier typed in the order, and smiled. “That will be forty-eight dollars and thirty-four cents.” The teenager cringed a bit. “You take debit?” The cashier nodded. He pulled out his wallet and slid the orange card out, handing it to the woman. She swiped it, and a receipt printed out. “It should be about ten minutes, thank you.” Connor put the card back into his wallet and sat down, pulling out his phone to continue texting Don.

Don’s phone buzzed and he opened it, starting to laugh. “Connor texted me. Want me to read it out?” The rest of the brothers nodded. Don cleared his throat before continuing. “Lady said it’d take ten minutes to cook. One of you guys better pay for at least some of this shit, it was fucking 48 bucks for 6 damn gyros… My bank account has never been squeezed this much in a long time.” Raph chuckled. “Tell him I’ll split it with him when we get home.” Although Raph was thinking more like “This guy is cheap as shit yet he spent twenty-five hundred bucks on Don only a couple of days ago…” Don nodded. “Raph’ll give you half of that back when you get home.” 

Connor smiled. “Okay, that helps. Anyway, I’m going to get our food and get the fuck out of here. Get Mikey to set up the table.” Don smiled. “Mikey, Connor wants you to set up the table so he can split up the food when he gets back.” Mikey groaned a bit. “Fine, I’m glad I don’t have to cook anything this time.” Don typed back. “Mikey’s setting up the table. He did complain of course, but he’s glad he doesn’t have to cook.” Connor chuckled and shook his head. “My bank account isn’t glad.” Right after he sent that, the cashier piped up. “Sir, your food is ready.” Connor stood up and put his phone in his pocket. Two bags of three boxes were on the counter, and as the teenager walked up, she asked if he needed anything else. “If I could get some extra tzatziki sauce, that would be great.” The cashier smiled as she reached under the counter and pulled out three cups of the sauce all sealed and ready to go. “There you go, anything else?” Connor shook his head. “That’s about all I can stand. Thank you.” The teenager then grabbed the bags in both of his hands and headed out of the restaurant. 

As he got onto the sidewalk, he picked up his pace. A fast walk turned into a jog as he was intent on getting the food home without it getting cold. He got about two blocks in before his phone buzzed. He groaned since he couldn’t check it, because his hands were kind of full. “Hope it’s not a damn life or death situation because I can’t fuckin get it,” he growled aloud. About five minutes later, he turned right onto 52nd Street. He stopped jogging and started to run, not quite at a sprint but fast enough. The two and a half blocks back home were quickly closing in, and he was soon at the garage. He walked toward it, and it didn’t open. “GOD DAMNIT!” he yelled as he set down the food in his right hand. He opened his phone and texted Don. “OPEN THE FUCKING GARAGE!” was all he had to type before it opened about seven seconds later. He grabbed the two bags and ran to the elevator. 

Pushing the button with his knee, it felt like getting down to the lair was the longest part. The elevator usually took a minute to get down to the lair, but it decided to be slow tonight. The doors finally opened and Connor darted down the stairs with the food, visibly annoyed. He set the food on the dining room table, who had the turtles already sitting there. “Don, you need to give me a way to get in the damn garage by walking in. I think I’m going to be walking a few more places, so that would be nice.” Don nodded. “I can do that tonight. Sorry I forgot about that.” Connor shook his head. “It’s fine now, I’m here and the food is still warm magically. I ran back.” Raph laughed in response. “I can only imagine you running with two bags of food.” The human growled a bit. “It’s bad enough running here, but not having a way in is just great. I’ll split up the food, hang on.” He then untied the bags, setting the sauce in the middle of the table and taking the boxes out of the bags. He opened each box, setting a gyro in front of everyone, and the tomato-less one on his plate. 

After that, he took the empty boxes and set them in the kitchen. Splinter’s whiskers twitched a bit. “So, Connor, you said this was Greek cuisine?” Connor nodded. “Yes, it is. What you have in front of you is called a gyro. It’s basically a sandwich of a special meat, a pita, and some lettuce, tomato, and a special cucumber sauce.” Leo took a bite and basically fell over. “What kind of meat is this? It’s delicious!” The human chuckled as he finished his first bite. “It’s a mixture of beef and lamb.” Mikey just went into a sort of carnivore mode, not saying anything, just eating. Don looked over and laughed. “You okay Mikey? Normally you would be yakking in the middle of eating…” Mikey nodded before swallowing. “This sandwich is so good!” Connor laughed. “I knew you would like it. Raph, you okay?” The red-banded turtle didn’t say anything either. “What do they put into this thing to make it so good?” Splinter smiled. “I also do like this sandwich, Connor. It was a great choice for dinner.”

The human smiled. “Thank you, sensei. Also, fair warning, these things are filling. Mikey, you might want to slow down.” Mikey whimpered a bit before he paused his devouring of the sandwich before Connor continued. “Turkey has a version of this sandwich called the doner kebab, and there’s a Middle Eastern variant called the shawarma. All are basically the same thing, but stateside it’s a gyro.” Leo smiled. “You seem to know quite a bit about, well, food, cars, motorcycles, coffee, what else…” Don chimed in. “Music too, he knew the history of many of the genres we listened to when we were with April earlier.” Connor blushed a bit. “I know, I know. Irrelevant information and all. I just seem to be like a sponge. I could even tell you the thread pitch of the lugnuts on my car if you asked.” Raph laughed. “What is the thread pitch of the lugnuts on the Escort, Connor?” “1.5 millimeters.” All of the rest of the family at the table laughed or chuckled. The human simply smirked. “I told you, didn’t I?” 

Connor took another bite of his sandwich before Splinter piped up. “So, my sons, what are you doing tonight with Miss O’Neil and I presume Mister Jones?” The human held up his hand as he swallowed his food. “Well, I have this all planned out. Arrive at the parking lot at about midnight, set up the course and the cameras. Next is for me to give it a few dry runs to see if the course needs to be changed, narrowed or widened. I then plan on everyone having at least three laps to get a base time, and to see where they need improvement. I doubt Raph, Don, and Casey will need to because they drive all the time for fun in a performance fashion, but alas. After everyone has had about three to five laps, I’ll give each person a training session to show them where to be smoother here, or gain speed there. After that is a little lesson in a couple of evasive driving maneuvers, how to get out of a sticky situation fast.”

Splinter smiled. “That sounds like a great plan. From what you said about cameras, you will be filming all of this, correct?” Connor nodded. “I will be, and I will edit it into about a fifteen to twenty minute long video depending on what happens, in a professional style, not all slapped together in five minutes.” The rat chuckled. “If you feel you need to, then be my guest. I do not care about the editing quality, but if you want to then I would appreciate it.” Don laughed as he shook his head. “When Connor says professional quality, Father, he means he’s going overkill.” Leo nodded. “He bought three cameras just for this.” Connor shook his head. “Not just for this, I needed the cameras anyway…” Mikey just busted out in laughter. “That’s a good joke. You needed them… yeah right.” Raph slapped him in the back of the head. “You deserved that this time.” Connor mouthed “thank you” to the red-banded turtle, who nodded. 

Don got up and put his plate in the sink, since he was done eating. “You weren’t kidding about these things being filling. I’m full. Also, Raph, I think it’s your turn to wash the dishes.” Raph groaned. “Yeah, it is.” Connor chuckled as he got up, putting his plate in the sink. The human then sat back at the table, thinking. Mikey looked up and snapped in the air. “Connor, you okay?” “I’m fine, why?” “You were just like staring at me…” “Oh,” Connor said as he started laughing. “I do that when I think, sorry about that.” Don laughed as he walked back into the dining room. “Don’t worry, I do the same thing, too. It’s just that none of them see when I do it.” Connor simply shook his head as he chuckled. “Yeah, sorry Mikey. I just go into all blank face mode when I think. I’m not broken or anything.” 

Mikey looked at the human. “I’m not an expert on humans or anything but you look like you’re broken. How many fingers am I holding up?” “Three, like all of you turtles have.” “What is my name?” Connor replied in a tone not much unlike David Attenborough. “Michelangelo Hamato, also known as the Turtle Titan. Resides in a lair in the New York sewers, with a diet of mostly Italian food and soft drinks. He is very playful in this habitat, much to the chagrin of the other members of his clan. He has found a mate in a robot, which means he cannot reproduce to continue the lineage of this very rare species of mutated anthropomorphic turtles.” All of the members at the table started laughing, even Splinter couldn’t help it. Raph started in between fits of laughter. “And that is how you get at someone, right there. Nice one, Connor.” The human bowed a bit as he tried to hold in his laughter. Mikey wiped tears from his face. “I guess I am a specimen now…” Don chuckled. “You’ve been a specimen since you were mutated, if you can’t remember.” 

Connor waved his hands in the air. “None of you guys are specimens. Your enemies might think that way, but you guys aren’t test subjects. Trust me.” Leo nodded. “Alright, I’m done with dinner. Anything I can grab on the way in?” The remaining members of the table shook their heads. “I’m good, Leo,” Connor commented. For the next ten minutes, the rest of the brothers and the rat finished eating, both enjoying the food and the conversations they spawned. Connor got up from the table with Don, and the two headed upstairs. “So, do you want me to help you move some of this stuff out? I think we can put this bed in your lab to replace that cot.” Don nodded. “I could use the help, and replacing that cot with something softer is a good idea. I’ve had to sleep in my lab quite a few times, it sucked getting up and having my back all stiff.” The human chuckled. “You forget you have someone to sleep with now…” Don shook his head. “This was before you even came into my life, babe. Also, I could use it just in case one of us gets hurt and I need to keep watch.” 

Connor smiled. “That actually sounds like a good idea.” He then opened the bedroom and gasped. “You even had unfinished damn projects in here. Honestly, babe. We need to make some sort of pact that our unfinished projects stay either in the garage or in the lab…” The turtle chuckled. “Fine, I’ll agree to that. These things have pretty much ruined any chance of sleep I’ve had for the past three years.” Connor laughed and shook his head. “They’re going to your lab for right now. I’ll get the ones that don’t look… temperamental.” Don laughed. “Okay, babe. Set them on the bench, I’ll get the rest of the finicky ones.” 

Seven minutes later, all of the stagnant projects were in Don’s lab, and all that was left was a dresser full of human disguises and masks and other gear, and a bed. “So, maybe we can heave this bed out?” Don shrugged. “It’ll be bulky, but I think we will be fine. So, three-two-one lift?” Don nodded. “Three, two… one… GO!” The two then lifted the bed off the bare box spring, tilting it sideways. Sliding the bed out of the door, Don just laughed. “Well, that was my bed. Now it’s not. It’s weird.” Connor smiled. “It’s for the better though, I think. Now, we just need to get the box spring after we get this thing into your lab.” Continuing the action, the two got the bed into the lab and leaned it against the wall. Connor then sprinted back to Don’s old bedroom and tilted the box spring up, pulling it down the hallway. Don laughed and shook his head, surprised that his lover got it solo. Connor turned around and smiled. Don opened the door to the lab wider, and Connor slid the box spring next to the bed. “Okay, that’s done. Now let’s get that stuff out of that dresser and move it into our room.”

Don just chuckled before he attacked Connor with a surprise hug. Connor squeaked a bit as the turtle squeezed him. “Okay babe, I love you too,” squeaked the human. Don laughed at the sound before he leaned in to kiss his lover. “I love you too. Now, we need to fix that door…” Connor paused. “I have an idea, stay right here.” He then pressed the button for the elevator, and rushed inside, closing the doors to make sure Don didn’t follow him. When the doors opened, he went into his workbench and grabbed a small bottle of touch-up paint. “Ford Vermillion Red, that would go against a white door, wouldn’t it?” he asked himself aloud. It was an extremely bright red single-stage color, so it would stay bright and glossy pretty much forever. He chuckled and walked back to the elevator. This was going to be good.

When the doors opened again, Don was standing there giving Connor a confused look. “What are you holding?” The human held out the bottle, and the turtle’s eyes widened. “Touch up paint, I’m guessing for our door?” “It was the brightest red we had, also the fact that it’s the same color as the Escort makes it even better. A little more personal.” Connor then held out his hand, and Don gave the bottle back. He then shook it about ten times, before taking off the cap and dipping its brush into the paint. Breathing deeply, he hoped to have a steady hand. He drew a small arrow between the R and apostrophe first, excited the paint wasn’t running. Dipping the brush back into the bottle a few times, he slowly wrote out “And Don” above the arrow. Don grinned. “That came out great, babe. Now it’s ‘Connor and Don’s room’ instead of just yours. I love it.” Connor held up a hand. “There’s more where that came from, babe.” He then dipped the brush back into the paint, getting an excessive amount on the end. He drew a heart, dipping the brush in multiple times to get it to run. 

“And there we go. All done.” Don looked at the new heart and looked confused. “Why did you make it run?” Connor chuckled. “We are bleeding hearts for each other, and what could symbolize that more than well… a bleeding heart?” The turtle just looked at it and laughed. “Is there any reference to that Heartbleed SSL vulnerability?” Connor looked at his lover and just laughed. “No, and I didn’t mean there to be any. Sorry about that.” Don just smiled. “It just looks like the logo they made for it.” Connor looked at the heart and groaned a bit. “God damnit, it does. Now you ruined it. I guess the fact that we both know what that even is makes it a bit better too… Let’s get that stuff out of your dresser and maybe we can just hang out in our newly-christened room.” 

The turtle was about to hug his lover again, but that touch up paint would go everywhere. He just shook his head. “Yeah, we can do that. But first, I think you should close that bottle.” Connor looked confused before he looked down. “Oh, yeah, that’s probably a good idea.” The human then opened the door and set the closed bottle down. Don then took that as a sign that his lover was open, and he gently pushed the human onto the bed. Connor was surprised at the move the turtle made, but he accepted, turning around to look at Don. The turtle was smiling, and Connor just wrapped his arms around the green figure.

“Was that all you needed to think this room was yours, babe?”, the human asked with a smile. Don nodded. “I knew it was ours, but walking into it felt wrong. We just fixed that.” Connor grinned before leaning up, the turtle meeting him with a kiss. The human moaned a bit before starting to speak again, simply stating “I love you babe.” Don smirked in response. “I love you too, babe. You in a mood to really do anything?” Connor shook his head. “Sorry, but not really. Gotta save up some energy for tonight. I’m the supervisor over everything, gotta make sure the cameras are rolling, etcetera etcetera... However, we can stay here like this for a bit.” 

His lover just smiled. “I guess that works.” Don then got off Connor, lying next to the side of the human, continuing the conversation. “So, how are we going to all get down there?” “Well, I thought maybe I could drive April’s van down, giving her some tips along the way. Casey can be in the Battle Shell with the rest of you guys both getting cones and talking to his friend. He also told me about April, and any excuse to not ride with her is probably a good one… at least until I make her a smoother driver. I have a question, babe. It may sound kind of stupid…” Don chuckled. “You’re not stupid. What’s the question?” “You think maybe the Initial D paper cup trick* will help April?” 

Don paused. “Well, maybe it could. She will be distracted by the cup, though.” Connor smiled. “That is a problem she will have to overcome. You know smooth equals fast, so if I can get her to smooth out her pedal control and her steering inputs, she will then take that and apply it to the course.” The turtle chuckled. “You know what, I’m not going to say anything else. I know it’ll probably work considering it is you that is teaching her, but I’m not quite sold.” Connor chuckled. “I’m not sold either, but if it works, it works. It made Takumi Fujiwara into this driving god, I think it can make April a little smoother.” Don just sighed and shook his head. “What time is it, anyway?” Connor looked at his watch. “It’s almost eight thirty, why?”

The turtle shook his head. “Just wondering. It feels later than that.” Connor chuckled. “Well, it’s not. I’m thinking we should bring all the rest of your shit in here, huh? This is your room now too, remember?” Don nodded. “Alright, also don’t laugh at the sheer number of masks I have.” The human’s eyes widened. “You have more than one?” Don chuckled and shook his head. “We all have at least three or four, along with two sets of gear, like our elbow and knee pads and belts and stuff. They’re like our clothes.” Connor looked over to his lover, smiling. “Yeah, you guys don’t wear much, do you? I also had a question about that sort of thing. Do you guys wear shoes outside of your disguises?” Don shook his head. “Nope, we don’t. I guess we just got used to being barefoot.”

Connor chuckled. “Well, you might want to tonight. It’s 37 degrees, and I’m guessing the pavement is a solid 34.” Don shook his head. “Our feet don’t get cold really. It’s more of a biological thing due to us being turtles and like half cold-blooded and half warm-blooded.” The human then had a confused look on his face. “Yeah, I was meaning to ask about the cold and warm-blooded thing… how does it even work?” Don smiled. “Well, we are mostly human in structure, so that part you understand. In the winter we warm ourselves up with body heat, need blankets and sweaters and stuff. But in the summer, we need to cool down more than normal, because the cold-blooded part of our anatomy really doesn’t like being warm, so we take baths in ice water and stuff when it’s truly miserable. But the pro to that is that we really can’t get hypothermia or anything. Normal turtles’ blood can go down to about 10 degrees or so Celsius before really needing to warm up.” Connor nodded. “Makes sense. I’m full human, so anything below about 97 degrees Fahrenheit in blood is hypothermic, and anything above 99 is a fever slash heat stroke. Gotta stay in that nice little range. Also, that makes sense why I’ve found you running a little colder than I do. You don’t have such a small range you need to stay in, so it doesn’t matter. However, for me, I prefer the winter over the summer. There’s only so many layers you can strip off before it becomes indecent exposure.” 

Don started laughing at that. “Yeah, that’s a problem we don’t have either, which is a plus.” Connor shook his head. “I feel bad for those guys in offices who need to wear like the full three-piece suit in 95-degree weather… and then people complain it’s so cold in the office. Yes Susan, you are wearing a dress that’s borderline cut to your crotch, so that is probably why.” The turtle laughed again. “Do you think about stuff like that at random?” Connor chuckled. “Yeah, that’s my brain unless I’m working on something or thinking about you. I’ve ran into so many people like that in life. Can’t help themselves, so they take it out on anyone who will listen. It gets rather old. Anyway, were we going to finish up your ‘old room adventure’ or not?” Don nodded and got up off the bed. “Come on, babe,” he called out from the hallway. Connor laughed and slid off the bed as well, following his lover across the hall. Don was in the dresser, dumping its contents onto the floor. Connor just looked and laughed.

“You weren’t kidding about the masks; how many do you have?” “About twelve…” Connor chuckled and squatted down. “So, need my help?” Don shook his head. “I got it. Just help me keep it organized once it’s in our room, since I tend to make things go everywhere.” The human paused. “I’m in the same boat, babe. I lived out of a damn laundry basket for two weeks because I was too lazy to put my clothes away. I’m guessing two wrongs might make a right this time.” The turtle chuckled. “I doubt our room is going to be pristine forever, though.” Connor shook his head. “I doubt that. It’ll be lived in, but it won’t be… well… Mikey-level.” Don laughed. “Do we need to make the bed?” Connor shook his head. “I can’t give a shit about that, babe. As long there’s nothing left on it when we go to bed.” 

Don nodded. “Alright, that should be easy enough. I’m probably guessing the sheets will have to be washed every so often, due to well… us fucking, but that’s not a big deal, we can do it when you need to do a load of laundry.” Connor leaned over on Don’s shoulder. “I love you babe, fucking or not. Although, that is a nice benefit of us being together.” The turtle grinned. “You could put it that way, babe.” The human chuckled before pausing. “I have a question, babe.” “Sure, shoot.” “Do you know of any hardware stores near here? I need to build some tables for this room.” The turtle paused sorting out his stuff, and thought. “Well, most hardware stores here are like mostly hardware and tools, a lot less lumber and stuff like that. You might need to look it up.” Connor chuckled. “I keep forgetting you guys don’t have Home Depots or Lowe’s everywhere. I had a Home Depot like five minutes from my house, I could pick up all kinds of lumber and plywood and even damn doors and toilets and shit if I needed it.”

Don laughed. “Welcome to New York, babe.” Connor then pulled up his phone, looking for hardware stores. “Haha, found one. Metropolitan Lumber and Hardware… ugh.” “Ugh what, babe?” “It’s all the way on 11th. That’s going to be miserable to get to, and I doubt my car will fit all the wood I’m going to need.” The turtle paused. “You can take the Battle Shell.” “Really? That thing is like your baby.” Don nodded. “Of course you can, babe. Also, you need to learn how to drive that thing. Do you have experience driving big vehicles?” Connor nodded. “I’ve driven my dad’s F350 around, so I’m guessing the van will be kind of similar. His had a 5.4 in it though, versus you having your big-block. Thing had a very-open diff**, so it’ll just lay one wheel. Not great when you need to pull out of a gravel driveway with no weight in the bed.”

The turtle chuckled. “Sounds like fun. But anyway, yeah. You can borrow the van when you go out to get that wood.” Connor paused. “Do the seats fold in any way?” “Yeah, the rearmost bench folds down, I think that’ll be enough room, don’t you?” “Maybe. I couldn’t tell you, to be honest. If it can fit a few sheets of plywood I think it should be fine. Once you get your stuff out of here, I should measure it all up to see what sizes of table top I need. You haven’t seen my woodworking skills quite yet, let’s say that.” Don chuckled. “I assume it’s as overkill as everything else you do?” “Maaaaybe… Let’s say these tables will last thirty years.” The turtle shook his head. “Babe, you never cease to amaze me with how much over-engineering you do. I try to do that, but then something else comes along and drags me out of it.” 

Connor smiled. “If you don’t do the work right, you may as well not do it at all. Raph watched me when I was working on my brakes, I was putting anti-seize on the backing of the pads, where they touch the caliper bracket and a couple of other spots. He was like shocked I put so much time into doing that, but he didn’t realize it makes the brakes last longer and it saves me time next time I’m in there when I’m pulling it all apart.” Don smiled. “Do you always think about things like that when you’re working?” Connor nodded. “I don’t want to work on something again, but if I need to, I like to make it as simple as possible. You do know what they say about foolproofing, right?” 

The turtle shook his head before Connor continued. “Murphy’s Law at its finest, really. A couple of quotes are that ‘Nothing is foolproof to a good enough fool’, and ‘If you try to make something idiot-proof, someone will just make a better idiot.” Don laughed. “Yeah, that’s true. Anything that can go wrong, will. I guess you factor that into anything you do?” Connor nodded. “See, in my head just now, I ruled out MDF for my table top because I spill shit everywhere. You know how MDF reacts with liquids.” “So, you’re going plywood with some kind of oil-based stain?” “Precisely. I want this stuff to last a while without having to fix bubbled up areas of veneer or whatever.” 

Don clapped his hands together after Connor stopped speaking. “I’m done sorting my old stuff out.” The things in his dresser were in three piles. “One pile for our room, one for the lab, and one for the trash. A lot of the shit I didn’t need was thrown in here over time.” There was a variety of masks, random leather sheaths for weapons, old plans, old electronic parts, random food wrappers, and some other assorted junk on the floor. Connor just looked at the variety of things on the floor, and shook his head. “Where do you want to put your masks and stuff in our room?” “In the dresser, maybe keep a couple of small things on the nightstand. Is that alright?” The human nodded. “Perfectly okay. Just want to know so I don’t fuck it all up later.” “Alright, I got it babe. I love you, you know that?” Connor chuckled and hugged Don. “I love you too, you sexy turtle. I don’t know what I would do without you now, to be honest.” The turtle grinned. “Me either, babe. I never knew a scrappy teenager from Georgia would put up with me, let alone love me as such. It’s a great feeling, you know?” 

Connor laughed and kissed Don before getting up off the floor. Before he walked out of the room, he remembered about the whole garage situation. “Babe, I forgot about the whole I-can’t-walk-into-the-garage thing… You have a way to fix that?” Don smiled. “After I sort this out, I’ll set up your phone to be like a HomeLink type of thing. Just have to make sure that you have your phone on you when you leave.” Connor nodded. “Don’t wanna lock myself out, duh. Alright, I’m going down to the living room. Join me later?” The turtle nodded. “Of course I will, babe.” The human then walked down the stairs, leaving his lover in his old room to think. Don simply stood up and chuckled before getting his gear off the floor and carrying it to his new room, putting it in the second dresser drawer. 

Sighing and sitting on the bed, Don looked at the nightstand. He saw the first drawing Mikey made of Connor in the Escort being chased in the van and then saw the drawing of the two still laying on the nightstand unframed. “I forgot about that,” he muttered out as he went into the lab to get another frame. “This is my last frame, I hope Mikey doesn’t draw any more pictures for us… well I hope he does, but then we wouldn’t have any more frames...” Don said to himself. Getting a frame for an 8.5x11 piece of paper, he took it to their room and slid the drawing in, setting it on the nightstand. Looking at the picture of Connor and him kissing was enough to make him tear up a bit. “I love him so much,” he said to himself. 

Getting up off the bed, he headed out of the room and walked down to the living room. Connor was on the side sofa, cringing at the antics Mikey made as he tried but failed to prank Raph, who was now chasing the orange-banded turtle through the first floor of the lair. Don just followed the two with his eyes as he went into the living room and sat down next to Connor, leaning his head on the human. “I framed that second drawing,” Don commented. The human looked over and smiled. “I’m glad that was finally framed. It looked kind of sad just sitting there. Thanks, babe.” “No problem. That damn picture made me tear up thinking about you.” Connor grunted a bit as he wrapped his arm around the turtle, leaning back. “Mikey’s drawings tend to do that, huh? Hang on,” Connor said before dropping his voice and growling out “MIKEY! RAPH! CUT THE SHIT, PLEASE!” The orange-banded turtle froze right in his tracks, that tone in the human’s voice making him clench up. Raph shook his head and chuckled. “Alright, Connor. I’ll stop if he does.” Connor put his head in his hand. “Mikey, can you wait to torment him until tomorrow? Please?” Mikey whimpered a bit and nodded. Connor smiled before belting out a “THANK YOU!” 

Don just watched all of that happen and shook his head. “Babe, you know how to stop Mikey, that’s for sure. That tone of voice made me shudder a bit, and I did nothing wrong…” Connor smiled. “That’s the point. I just used my dad voice, which I’m guessing Sensei probably uses to get people to listen to him. It’s a special trait, only reserved for a special few.” Splinter chuckled a bit. “I am surprised that did work, son. You can stop Michelangelo from being such a pest with a simple tone of voice.” Connor chuckled. “It’s not a problem, sensei. I was just getting a little tired of the antics, so I stopped it the only way I knew how.” “That tone of voice even made me jump a bit there. Have you ever used that before?” Connor nodded. “My friends at school used to be annoying, so I would just drop my voice real low like this,” he replied as he dropped his tone. “And using this deeper tone would make them all shut up. It works quite well, I have to say.” Splinter smiled. “I am glad you figured that out, son. Sometimes communication is a little more complicated than one would expect.” 

The rat then put his attention back on the television, glad that the orange and red-banded turtles were getting back to their video game instead of chasing each other around. Don was still surprised at how Connor got the two to stop like that, but he figured it was a worst-case scenario. The turtle still had his head on the human’s shoulder, and he didn’t want to move. Connor still had his arm around the turtle, squeezing Don a bit. He then smiled and started speaking lowly. “I’m still glad you put that drawing into a frame, babe. I was going to get around to it, but I forgot. Thanks.” “Don’t need to thank me, babe.” “I know, but I did anyway. I want to tell you I appreciate it.” Unbeknownst to Connor though, Splinter heard that and started to smile, glad that the human felt he had to say that. He didn’t need to, but in relationships, even the small things matter. Splinter knew that, that was why the rat was truly pleased.

* * *

10:30 PM

* * *

Don was walking up the stairs, to see what Connor was doing in their room. As he poked in his head, he saw the human amidst a variety of cameras and mounts. Connor looked up and smiled. “Hey babe, you watching me set up cameras?” “Well, not really. I just wanted to see what you were up to.” The human chuckled, patting his hand on the bed. Don smiled and sat down. “I never really had a chance to look at what cameras you bought. What even are they?” Connor chuckled and shook his head a bit. “These are Xiaomi-branded action cameras. They’re basically GoPros, but cheaper and roughly the same in quality.” The turtle nodded. “Do you know what Xiaomi means?” Connor chuckled. “It means ‘little rice’ in Mandarin. The model of the camera is the Yi, which is the number one in Chinese.” Don’s eyes widened. “How much Mandarin do you know, babe?” 

Connor laughed. “I took two years of it in middle school, although I’ve forgotten most of it by now. I can still count to ninety-nine and if you give me a page of Mandarin I could probably figure out what it said with a bit of help from Google Translate. I also know basic phrases and such, although I used to be at the point where I could have a small conversation in only Mandarin, using English words here and there if I didn’t know what word I needed in Chinese. Too bad I’ve forgotten most of that, although in Chinatown or something I can still catch some phrases here and there and get a basic gist of what is being said.” The turtle smiled. “I wouldn’t even know how to begin learning Chinese. All of the characters look so complicated.” The human nodded. “It’s somewhat like English though. Every character has a base symbol, kind of like how we have root words. Then you can kind of go from there, that is if you know the root symbols of course. There’s ones for wind, water, rice, etcetera.” 

The turtle just shook his head. “If you want to teach me any, I’m down. I mean I know some Japanese due to well… us being ninjas and being trained by a Japanese master… but yeah Chinese, I’m lost.” Connor laughed. “Well, I can teach you how to say ‘hello’ and ‘how are you?’ but that’s about it. If I had my old textbooks I could refresh my memory but alas, I don’t. I’m best with Chinese numbers, but even most Chinese people use Roman numerals nowadays.” Don chuckled. “I would assume so. Anyway, how much longer until you are ready for this whole escapade?” “Well, we don’t need to go as soon as April gets here, of course. We’ve got to wait a while for that parking lot to clear out, plus you guys need to grab cones. So, I’m just taking a bit of a break. Speaking of, you think you can take a bit of a break with me until April gets here?” 

Don looked over and grinned. “That sounds like a great idea, babe.” Connor set down the camera in his hand and wrapped his arms around the turtle. Don tucked his head into the human’s neck, and just hummed a bit before starting to talk. “I love you, babe. I can guarantee tonight will be fun.” Connor chuckled in his chest a bit, making the turtle feel it. “I know you will love it, even if you don’t learn all that much. I’m going to shift my focus on a few other people, so don’t feel left out, okay?” Don sat up and grinned. “I don’t think that will be a problem, babe. I’ve gotten mostly over that possessive bullshit I was on earlier this morning.” The human smiled. “I think you have, too. The remainder of this day is going to be a little more turbulent, in terms of positive emotions, anyway.” Don smiled. “I hope it will.” 

Right after he said that, however, the door to the sewers opened. April and Casey came in, and Connor laughed. “I guess our break is over, babe.” Don groaned. “Yeah, it is. Let’s go.” The two then got up, heading down the stairs. April caught a glimpse of Connor and smiled. “Is the superhuman teacher ready for a round two?” The teen nodded. “I guess I am. I’m going to need quite a bit of caffeine through all of this, though.” The woman laughed. “All of us do, really. That’s what happens when you do this stuff so late.” Connor chuckled. “You ready to get this show on the road?” April nodded. “You?” “I have some stuff I have to pack up, and we NEED TO DRAG MIKEY OFF HIS VIDEO GAME…” Mikey paused the game and looked over. “Oh, yeah. Right.” He stood up and turned off his Xbox, stretching. “So, when are we going, Connor?” “In a little bit. I have some things I have to pack up, and uh that’s about it.” Mikey grinned. “This is going to be so much fun!” Connor sighed and hung his head down. “I wasn’t ready for that…” Leo chuckled. “No one is, Connor.” The human teen then walked back up to his room, throwing the cameras, two power banks, and his laptop into a spare backpack. Slinging it over his shoulder, he took his jacket, wallet, and phone and walked back out. “Alright. April, where did you park your van? I’m driving it there, Casey can ride along with Don and the rest of the guys there in the Battle Shell.” Casey then pumped his fist into the air. “Fuck yes, now I have no reason to throw up on the sidewalk.” The teen laughed as April sent Casey a glare. “That is the main reason I’m driving your van there. Also, because I need to get a feel for it before I really drive it hard.” 

Casey chuckled. “Sounds like a plan, boss. It sounds like you’re meeting us there?” Connor nodded. “I need to scout out the place before you guys show up.” Don smiled. “Also, we need to borrow some traffic cones from our friends called the New York DOT, and having five people doing that will speed it up.” Mikey groaned. “How long do you think that’ll take?” Connor smiled. “About ten minutes, if you guys use the rooftop highway and get about eight to ten each. You guys are damn ninjas, I think you can steal some cones without not-giving-a-shit workers to notice… Oh, I almost forgot. Do you have an OBDII reader I can borrow, Don?” The purple-banded turtle raised an eye ridge. “Uh sure, why?” Connor smiled. “Datalogging. You can probably figure out why.” Don chuckled. “In the garage, top drawer of the main bench.” Connor nodded. “Come on April, we can walk out through the garage.” April smiled in response “Alright, lead the way.” 

Connor then started walking up the stairs, the woman following behind him. He was about to press the button for the elevator but April had other ideas. “Connor, what is that?” She was looking into his room, noticing the new drawing on the nightstand. The teenager smiled. “How about I show you?” He then took the picture off the nightstand and handed it to April. She looked at it and her eyes widened. “This is beautiful!” The teen chuckled. “Might want to tell that to Mikey. He drew it after he saw us kissing downstairs.” April smiled. “I wish I had a picture like this of me and Casey together. Too bad, huh?” Connor shook his head. “It’s not too bad. Anyway, we should get going, I need to grab that OBDII reader.” The woman put the picture back on the nightstand and followed Connor out. The teen opened the elevator, and the two walked in. 

They didn’t say much when the elevator was going up, but that was enough. When the doors opened, Connor walked over to the drawer and pulled out the OBDII scanner. He nodded before taking off his bag and putting the little dongle into it. April smiled. “Ready to get going now, Connor?” The teen nodded. “Now I am. Press that red button on the wall over there.” April did and her eyes followed the wall rising off the floor. “That never gets old to watch, does it?” The woman nodded. “It’s so cool how Don was able to do that.” Connor chuckled as he walked under the door, the woman following soon after. April jogged a bit to catch up, and then started the conversation. “So, what is that thing you grabbed for?” “Oh, it’s an OBDII scanner. Basically, I plug it into your van, and it spits out a bunch of data. I can use it to clear codes, or in my case, log data. I then can use that data to put like the engine speed and vehicle speed into my computer and make it show up in our video.” April looked confused. “Like how they do in car videos to have the RPM or whatever show up as they go around the track?” Connor smiled. “Exactly… let me guess, now that you have learned some stuff about cars you went back to watch some videos?” April laughed. “Yeah, I have. Some of those guys crack off downshifts like gunfire, it’s crazy!” 

Connor laughed. “Yeah, because I’m guessing they were heel-toe downshifting. That’s when you downshift like you learned to, but while braking.” April looked confused. “How do you do that?” The teenager sighed. “To be honest, it’s pretty difficult depending on the car. In my car, I can’t manage to do it. You use the ball of your foot on the brakes, and you twist your foot to blip the throttle while clutching out. It’s great if you can get it right, but even I can’t manage to get it right all the time. The pedals in my car are spaced apart a bit too wide.” April laughed. “If you can’t do it perfectly, I’m guessing it is pretty difficult to get down. Would I need to learn that?” Connor shook his head. “Normal everyday driving, not really. If you are on a track or something and need that extra second or two, then yeah probably. When you get a manual car, just downshift using that little throttle blip trick for a while. You’ll soon get the hang of it all. Anyway, do you have your keys?” April stopped, pulling the keys out of her purse. “Here you go, sorry about that.” “It’s no problem, April.” 

The teenager then took the keys, unlocking the van and getting into the driver’s seat. April slid into the passenger’s seat, with a smile on her face. Connor looked confused. “Where can I put this bag to where it doesn’t slide everywhere?” April looked around the van and chuckled. “I guess you can put it by my feet. Would whatever in there be broken if it bumps into something?” Connor nodded. “I have two hundred and fifty bucks of cameras and my laptop in there.” The woman laughed. “Yeah, it’s a good idea to not break that stuff. Over here will be fine.” Connor chuckled as he took his bag and put it down by April’s feet. “Alright, let’s get out of here, huh?” April smiled and chimed “All aboard!” Connor turned the key in the ignition, starting the van. The V8 rumbled to life, and the coolant was still at operating temperature. Connor buckled his seat belt, and April did so five seconds later. The teenager put the van into gear, turning left onto 1st Avenue at the red light.

After the light turned green, Connor started the conversation. “So, we cleared out Don’s old room. Tomorrow I’m running to the hardware store. I’m going to build some custom-size tables to go in there.” April shook her head. “You don’t need to do that, Connor.” The teen chuckled. “I know I don’t, but a big work area is nice. Less things go flying off the table, like screws that love to roll.” The woman chuckled. “I get it now, but considering how overkill you can be at times, these tables are going to hold an elephant or something.” Connor laughed. “I don’t know what kind of elephants of things you are going to be bringing in, so it doesn’t hurt. Anyway, once I get these tables built, maybe Tuesday you can drop off some stuff? Do you even have anything?” April nodded. “I have a couple of old tube TVs, a few old computers, some VCRs and other small things, like a few iPhones I can resell. You down?” Connor smirked. “Of course I am. The problem is if I will turn into Don and overwork myself and look at the clock and notice it’s 4 in the morning and I hadn’t eaten.” 

April started laughing. “I highly doubt that. You’re going to be swearing out loud and instead of throwing something, you will just get up and walk it off before getting another idea.” Connor sighed. “Yeah, that sounds like me, alright. I don’t like breaking something to break it. I did have a destructive streak back when I was like eleven though. Things have changed quite a bit since then, I am afraid.” The woman smiled. “They sure have. How long ago was it when you were eleven?” “Six years ago. Back then, we were in our new place for like maybe seven months. I don’t know why I became so destructive, but seeing something just break or smash was apparently cool. Now, if I see something like that happen I’m like ‘oh shit, I need to fix this now’, so there’s that.” 

The woman chuckled. “I guess you finally grew up, huh? It’s life to fix things that break.” Connor nodded. “I would assume so. I mean, when I was like thirteen and fourteen, I was pretty much forced to grow up. Probably like the Turtles had to… outside of Mikey, really. I still do slip out of the stoic father figure persona, but that’s because I’m human.” April shook her head. “Connor, you don’t even need to be numb about everything all the time, you know that.” The teen nodded. “I know that, I guess it was just a coping mechanism. My parents were constantly fighting before they separated, and I didn’t want any part of it. I guess I just blocked it all out over time. Anyway, do you have some music you could play?”

April smiled. “You like rap?” Connor looked over and chuckled. “April, I’m a teenager and I was in high school. That’s pretty much a given.” The woman smiled. “Alright, alright. You never know. Old-school or new-school?” “Surprise me.” April then scrolled through her phone, pressing play on “Pills and Automobiles”. Connor chuckled before turning up the stereo, bobbing his head to the beat. April smiled. “I guess you like this song?” The teen nodded. “I don’t think it’s played enough, to be honest. I’m not the biggest fan of Chris Brown, but he’s pretty good in this.” April nodded. “The whole him-beating-Rihanna thing isn’t great for reputation.” 

Connor nodded before Yo Gotti’s verse started. “Oh, can you text one of the guys, April? I want to see if they’re done getting cones.” “Alright, I’ll text Casey. Hang on.” She tapped on her phone and few times and then chuckled. “He said that they were done, and you should appreciate it. They got about forty cones, and it was a bit of an adrenaline rush making sure workers didn’t spot them. They’re on the way now.” Connor nodded. “Alright, text back saying we will meet them there.” April tapped a few more times on her phone. “Okay. Don said no problem.” Connor chuckled as he drove the van off the 495, onto the 678 and towards the Target parking lot.

* * *

Saturday, February 3, 12:18 AM

* * *

Connor parked the van and shut it off, grabbing his bag. “I have to go shut off the cameras. I’ll be right back.” April nodded. “Do you know how to?” “Yep, I do. It’s not that hard, I just need to tap into the store’s network somehow, maybe from the guest wireless.” The woman smiled. “Let me guess, you’ve done this kind of thing before.” Connor nodded. “Like five times. Don’t worry about it, I just don’t want the cameras to catch mutant turtles and them ripping a van around their parking lot.” April laughed. “Well, I think the gang is about fifteen minutes out, so you have at least that long.” The teenager chuckled as he got out and slung the bag over his shoulder. “You keep lookout, I’m going to find a way into their network.” April nodded. “Alright, can do. Be careful.” Connor saluted as he walked away from the van, toward the store. He stuck to the very side of the lot so he wasn’t caught by a camera as he walked closer to the building, cutting over against the side wall. He was careful to stick against the wall, to make sure he wasn’t spotted as he walked toward a ladder going up to the roof.

Gripping the sides of the ladder, he went up rung by rung until he reached the roof of the store. He squatted on the roof by an air-conditioning unit, opening his laptop on his knees. He popped the flash drive with Kali Linux in the side of the laptop, and booted it up. The software came up, and he made sure his laptop was completely hidden before connecting to the store’s wireless network. Running a terminal command, he then broke out of the sandbox of the guest network and into the main store network. 

Another command was executed, and the teenager saw a list of devices connected to the store’s intranet. There was a bunch of point-of-sale systems on there of course, but he was looking for dedicated computers. There were about seven on the network, one for the photo section, one in the management offices, and one for the security system. “Haha, here we go,” Connor said to himself as he used a backdoor to get into. Since the security system used a copy of embedded Windows, it was easy to get in. Seeing a version of the computer’s screen on his laptop, he opened Command Prompt and typed in “shutdown /s /t 00” which made the feed drop out. After ten seconds, the computer dropped off the network entirely. Next was to shut the security system off. 

Connor wasn’t an expert on security systems, so he dug around the network to find if there was any sort of terminal on the network. He did notice a constant connection being held to a server in New Jersey, which was probably for some sort of monitoring offsite. He dug further into that connection and noticed that it was at a constant 1-megabit upload, which is probably detailing things like inventories and possibly security. The teenager backtraced the server it was connected to and noticed that the location in Jersey was a distribution center. He sabotaged the connection and then disconnected from the network, pleased to be hearing no alarms going off. After that, he put his laptop in his bag and headed toward the ladder. 

As he got off the roof, he could hear the faint sound of the Battle Shell pulling into the parking lot. Connor continued to walk back, now in the middle of the lot because the cameras were completely shut down. Don parked the Battle Shell and got out, the rest of the team getting out of the back. The purple-banded turtle smiled. “You beat us here, babe.” Connor grinned. “I did. I just shut off all the cameras and cut off the security systems, so we should be good here until someone from HQ in Jersey notices that this store is now effectively off the grid. I say we have until four or so.” Don grinned. “You are really using those InfoSec skills for good, huh? Well, if you got it all shut off, we shouldn’t have to worry. We got about forty-five cones, you think that is enough?” The human nodded. “That’s more than enough. I’ll set everything up.” Don just watched as his lover opened the back of the Battle Shell and grabbed a stack of cones. 

Connor took about fifteen cones and started walking through the layout of the course, setting cones down to signify a corner or a locked-off area. When he ran out of cones, he whistled. Don nodded and got back in the Shell, driving it to the front of the lot. Connor smiled as the turtle pulled up, parking and getting out. “I saw you ran out of cones,” Don commented. “I may have, thank you for being my cone service.” “Do you need any help?” Connor shook his head. “Besides carrying some cones, I think we should be fine.” The turtle grabbed a stack of cones along with his lover, and Connor started setting down more cones to block off certain pathways or make sure the driver goes one way. 

After about five more minutes, the course was set up. Connor chuckled. “This is going to be so fun to be chucking that van around.” Don laughed. “Yeah, you did make it all technical. You going to do a few dry laps to start?” Connor nodded. “Seems like a good idea. I do have to get a feel for this course, after all.” The two then walked back to the Battle Shell, Don getting in the driver’s seat as Connor hopped into the passenger’s seat. The human couldn’t help but hold his lover’s hand as the two drove back through the parking lot. Don smiled in response. “I love you, babe. You ready for this little adventure?” “Of course I am, just have to set up the cameras.” Don got to the back of the lot and shut off the Battle Shell. Connor hopped out and took his bag off his back. 

He took the tripod out of his bag, extending the legs out until it was stable. Taking the head off the tripod, he grabbed one of the action cameras and screwed it in, making sure to line it up with the arm of the tripod. He then popped the camera back on top, sliding it in and locking it in place. He then whistled to Mikey, gesturing for the turtle to walk to him. Mikey looked over and walked toward the human, who had the tripod in front of him. Connor chuckled. “I think you can figure out what I called you over for.” “I’m running the outside camera, right?” The human nodded. “I’ll show you how to work the camera. I have set it up to record video, so all you do is turn it on like this,” he said as he turned the camera on. “These lights come on, and then when you are ready to record, you push this button on top.” The camera beeped to signify it was recording, and the red recording lights started to blink. 

Connor then pressed the button again, turning the recording off. “You got that, Mikey?” The turtle nodded. “So, I just push this button to record and then follow you around with the tripod?” The human smiled. “You got it. If the ring on the front turns red, hunt me down. That means it needs to be charged.” Mikey nodded. “Are we starting now?” Connor shook his head. “Not quite yet. I need to get the head mount camera and the OBDII stream ready, plus I need to make sure everyone is on the same page. I’ll make your phone beep when I am telling you to record, how about that?” Mikey smiled. “That works. Am I on outside camera duty for the whole night?” Connor chuckled. “Now that you ask, yes. When you’re doing your laps with me though I’ll get someone to sub in. Plus, the reason I put you on this camera is because it will record your commentary. If I get Raph to do it, he will be constantly swearing. Don won’t say anything, and Leo won’t know what to say.” Mikey laughed. “Okay, now I get it.” 

Connor saluted as he walked back to the group standing by the two vehicles. Raph chuckled. “I guess you just told Mikey how to use a camera?” Connor nodded. “Exactly. So, here’s the plan. I’m going to do a couple of dry laps to set a baseline. Then, I’m going to go one-on-one with April for however long it takes to get her smoothed out. After I feel she has smoothed out enough, then all you guys can take laps and I can start coaching each of you on how to drive quicker. Is that alright?” Leo put a finger up. “Quick question, why are you going out with April first?” Connor chuckled. “There’s a saying in racing explaining exactly why. ‘Smooth is fast’. Basically, if you can control the vehicle smoothly without jerking all around on any of the controls, it’ll be easier for you to get faster as you go. It’s fun chucking a car into a corner and making it slide around, but it’s not fast. It’s also a sign that you are a good driver if it feels like you are driving Miss Daisy even if you’re going around a track.” Leo nodded. “Now that you explain it, it makes sense. Are we going to get started?” The human chuckled. “Of course we will. First, let me get a hang of the course and then we can start.” Casey held up his hand. “How are you timing all of this?” Connor chuckled. “I’m going to do it in editing, to make sure it’s precise to the frame. Also, it keeps the surprise of who is actually fastest.” Raph groaned. “I wanted to see that I was faster than Case…” 

Casey started laughing. “Sorry pal, not tonight. I guess we will find out once this video is all done, right Connor?” The teenager nodded. “That was the point, add a bit of suspense. Now, I’m going to get started, you guys obviously stay away from the course, unless you like getting hit.” Don laughed. “Promise we won’t, babe.” Casey’s eyes widened after Don said that. “Babe?” The turtle chuckled. “I’ll explain later.” Connor shook his head as got into the van and reversed to the starting line. Opening his phone to make sure that the OBDII data was being logged, he then went into the dialer and made Mikey’s phone beep. The turtle moved the camera and pressed the button on top. Connor held up a thumb before putting a separate camera around his head, running a recording. 

The teenager then slotted the van into first gear, power braking it before setting off. The rear wheels chirped a bit, with the van not having enough power to fully light them up. Going around a concrete island, he then followed against a line of cones into a tight section going between two shopping cart corrals. Connor remarked “Shit this is tight…” as he went through the metal barricades. Next was another tight left, getting to the outside-most row. A right turn into a slalom between grass islands was punishing for the van, turning left and right five times before making another right down a row. The teenager then chucked the van into a right decreasing radius corner. The front tires weren’t too happy about the speed, so Connor lifted off the gas a bit, bringing the front end back in line. Casey started laughing. “He’s really going for it, isn’t he?” Don shook his head. “He can go faster than this… I’m guessing he’s treating this first lap with caution.” Raph nodded. “Yeah, he can definitely drive that van faster than what he is doing right now. He’s making it smooth.”

Connor then got out of the right corner, gunning it across the start/finish line before slowing down and turning around. He then lined himself back up for lap two. Connor intended in going full blast this lap, now that he knew the feel of the course. He then power braked it again, making the wheels spin with more throttle. Chucking the van around the concrete island again, he treated it with less abandon, waiting until the van started to understeer before he eased off. Using the anti-lock brake system to its fullest, he slammed on the brakes and made a very tight right between the corrals. He couldn’t care about the paint, so he got within two inches of the left barrier before turning left. Leo’s eyes widened. “He got so close to those cart corrals! I’m guessing he has changed his style, huh?” Raph chuckled. “He’s definitely going all-out this time.” Connor then went through the slalom of islands, giving it more throttle and steering input this time, sticking right to the limit of grip provided by the screaming tires. 

Turning right again and going into the main row, he turned the van through a tight chicane before ending up at the decreasing radius corner. He chucked the van in harder than he did last time, using the throttle to help steer the van around the corner. The front tires were still unhappy, but shifting the weight a bit to the outside rear wheel helped Connor gain a couple more clicks. Keeping his foot on the floor, he then crossed the finish line. He then turned around again, parking the van in front of the line and making Mikey shut off the camera. He stopped his camera and got out. “So, you think you guys can do that before the night is over?” Leo shook his head. “That last lap, you were really going all-out, weren’t you?” Connor shook his head. “I was at about nine-tenths. I could have gone that extra little bit, but I’m afraid this van doesn’t have the kind of power to help me do that. So, April, are you ready for some lessons in being smooth?” The woman smiled. “I guess now is a good time.” Connor smiled as he took the camera off his head. “Put this on and get in the driver’s seat in your correct position. You remember how to do that, right?” April nodded. “Slight bend in elbow and knees.” Connor walked toward the Battle Shell, intent on finding a plastic cup. He found one in the back under one of the seats, and he took a bottle of water out of the mini-fridge. 

Chuckling, he grabbed the two items and then walked back into the van, where April was sitting. He pressed the button on top of the camera on her head, and put the cup in one of the cupholders. Cracking open the bottle, April commented “Oh no.” Connor laughed. “Oh yes. You know what I’m about to do, right?” “Put water in the cup, see how much I spill.” The teenager shook his head. “Not quite. You will spill some, I just want to see if you can reduce the amount you spill over the course of about ten laps. Speed isn’t a priority. Just try not to spill any water, or as little as you can.” April laughed. “Any tips?” “Pretend your grandma is in the back holding a casserole on the way to the church potluck. Smooth on and off the pedals, don’t crank the wheel.” April just laughed. “Alright Grandma, I’ll be smooth.” Connor signaled to Mikey, and the outside camera started recording. 

As soon as April touched the gas pedal, the water started to dribble out of the cup. Connor didn’t say anything, just watching what the woman was doing. When she turned around the concrete island, it sloshed out of the side. April groaned. “I’ve already failed!” Connor shook his head. “Nope, just keep going. Focus on going smoothly.” She slowed down gently for the cart-corral chicane, and Connor was surprised. No water spilled out of the cup as she slowed down, but turning into the tight section, some dribbled down the side. April was smooth through the slalom section, she didn’t turn in too sharply, and she maintained a nice amount of lateral force through each of the turns. She did spill a bit of water on braking for the next right hander though, that was a point Connor noted. April freaked out a bit going through the tight chicane, spilling a bit of water when the suspension rebounded. April then cringed as she went into the right-handed corner, gliding into it. She spilled a bit of water when the corner tightened halfway through, but other than that the run was clean. She crossed the finish line, turning around and stopping. “So, how much did I spill?” Connor took the cup out of the cupholder and winced. “About half of what I put in there… I do have some tips though.” 

April sighed. “What did I do?” Connor chuckled. “Be careful in your braking. That’s where you spilled the most. When you push on the pedal, there’s a certain spot where the brakes start to grab. Slow on the pedal past that point. It’s like when you were driving my car, on the clutch. The clutch started to grab, and you remember how you held it at that one point? Try that with the brakes.” April nodded. “Am I going again?” Connor nodded. “However many times it takes before you don’t spill any water out of this cup.” The teenager then opened the bottle again, filling the cup up halfway. “Alright, let’s go. Be careful of the brakes this time.” April chuckled as she set off. This time, she didn’t spill any water on acceleration. She coasted around the island and slowed down for the cart corral. She spilled less water this time, feathering the brake to get slowed down just enough. Connor grinned. She was learning quickly. 

After that lap, April felt a bit better. “I know I spilled a bit less water this time.” Connor nodded as he held the cup up. “You cut the spillage in half just from being careful on the brakes. I’m going to get out, you are going to be all by yourself for these next few laps.” The woman cringed. “Are you sure?” The teenager nodded. “You know what you need to do, I’ll check when you pull back in. I have another tip, though.” “What is it?” “Try to feel the weight of the van shift around as you control it. You will feel it lean over in the corners, and tip back and forth. Don’t do anything differently, just get used to the feeling of the weight moving around.” April nodded as Connor got out, watching the woman set off. He walked over to the group standing by the Battle Shell. Casey just started laughing. “I can tell she’s smoother on the pedals already… what did ya even do?” Connor chuckled. “I put water in a cup, and I told her not to spill it. Since the water tips back and forth due to the G-force, it’s an instant sign you’re not smooth enough. She cut down her spillage in half just by feathering the brake pedal.” 

Raph chuckled. “Didn’t I tell you he was some sorta superhuman teacher, Case? He got April to be less jumpy on the brakes in like five minutes!” Connor blushed a bit. “That’s why I’m here. I’m making her do it over and over until she doesn’t spill a drop of water. I’m guessing it’s going to take about seven laps, considering how quickly she’s grasping weight shifting.” Leo’s eyes widened. “Seven laps? Jesus, Connor!” Casey laughed. “Yeah, I’m in disbelief too, Leo. This guy says it’ll take seven laps ta get April smoothed out. If it’s true…” Connor chuckled. “Casey, did April tell you about earlier?” The man shook his head. “What happened?” “Don, do you mind explaining?” The purple-banded turtle chuckled. “He taught April how to drive stick in forty-five minutes earlier today.” Casey’s eyes widened. “Are ya fuckin’ serious?” Connor nodded. “I taught her the basics, and after that, she drove us home in traffic on the 495. I was even surprised at how quickly she got it. We do have a problem with that, though.” Casey shook his head. “What’s the problem?” “She now wants a manual car. Probably something to have a bit of fun with. Don and I have a few ideas, it all depends on budget though.” Casey groaned. “That’s great. Now she wants a car that is actually worth a shit. You’ve ruined her!” Connor laughed. “I said the same thing. You now have a car girl on your hands, bud.” 

Casey just laughed. “Earlier, she couldn’t give a shit about cars… but now she does. Are you even human?” Connor chuckled. “I might as well not be. I live with a clan of mutant turtles and somehow have superhuman teaching abilities.” Leo laughed. “It’s alright, Connor. You’re weird just like the rest of us. We just haven’t unlocked your full potential yet.” April pulled across the line and Connor held his hand up. April turned around and stopped. Connor got in the passenger’s side and held the cup up. “That’s better! You’ve spilled a bit less. I think you have a few more laps left. I’m going to refill this real quick… what do you think so far?” April smiled. “I can now understand what you are talking about with the weight. When the weight shifts around, the water in the cup does too. So, I’m guessing try to keep the weight from moving around as violently?” The teenager chuckled. “You’re getting it. Hang on real quick.” Connor got out and grabbed a separate camera out of his bag. He stuck it to the dashboard and turned it on, filming the cup. “You can probably get what that’s for, huh?” April laughed. “Filming it. Alright, am I ready to go?” Connor nodded as he got out of the van, giving a thumbs-up to the woman. She set off again, and the teenager could only smile.

As Connor predicted, it took April seven laps to not spill a drop. After she pulled in after her seventh lap, Connor took the cup and exclaimed “Yes! You didn’t spill any of it!” April squealed a bit. “Really?!” Connor nodded. “Not even a single ounce of water this time. My lesson is done. You think you can transfer some of the things you have learned here to the streets?” April nodded. “It should be easy to do, I think.” “Good. Now, I’m going to get this cup and camera off of here… you think you can go quicker? Not as quick as I do, but quicker. Don’t need to stay as smooth, just try to keep up as much speed as you can.” April smiled as Connor threw the cup out of the van. Connor chuckled before commenting “Go.” The woman did so, she accelerated before turning around the concrete island. She just started to laugh. “I still can’t believe I didn’t spill any water that last lap.” Connor laughed. “Me either. Now, another tip. Look where you want to go. Your hands will follow your eyes. It’ll be especially useful for this slalom up here. Look where you want to end up, and your hands will steer the van right to that spot.” 

April nodded. “Would it still be a good idea to feel the weight, like you said to?” “Yes, that’s a great idea.” The woman then grinned as she turned the van around the grass islands, careful to not throw the van around all that much. Things were still sliding around in the back, but that was a small price. Connor chuckled. April was much smoother than she was before, careful of braking into corners, and gently gripping the wheel versus white-knuckling it. Casey looked at April and then smiled. “He has definitely smoothed her out, that’s for damn sure. I couldn’t manage it in fuckin’ what… three years?” Raph laughed. “Like I said, he’s superhuman. Ya can’t even believe to comprehend what this man can do.” Leo nodded in response. “I can’t even understand his mentality yet. It’s only been four days he’s been with us. But, look how far he’s helped us grow in even that small time.” Don grinned. “He’s great…” Casey looked over. “So, what was that about you calling him babe? You two together now?” The purple-banded turtle nodded. “Splinter told us we were pretty much destined to be together, and somehow magically it works. I still haven’t even tried to figure him out yet, to be honest. He’s more complicated on a mental level than even I am in many ways. We still don’t even know how he is in any sort of fight yet.” 

Leo sighed. “What are we going to do with him in a battle? He’s not a fighter like any of us, and to be honest he doesn’t have the sort of physical strength to keep up with even mid-level Dragons…” Don smiled. “I thought about that. He can be on the surface, being a sort of bait. I don’t know how it’d quite work, maybe he just goes into some sort of fighter mode and shows us all up…” Raph chuckled. “I’d like to see the latter… That twig knocking four guys out at once or something.” Casey laughed. “Ya guys are on your own with that one. I can’t help ya.” Raph chuckled. “Thanks, Case. I knew ya’d come up with some enlightening damn quote to help us all out here… Yeah fuckin’ right.” Casey then punched the turtle in the arm for saying that. After he did that though, April pulled in after her third lap. Connor stepped out of the van, knocking on the door to tell April to go again. He just started laughing as he walked back. “She’s so much smoother now, it’s crazy.” Casey nodded. “I can tell. That thing isn’t rocking like a boat anymore when she’s driving it.” The teenager nodded. “I guess that’s a job well done. Who’s next?”

* * *

1:28 AM

* * *

Connor looked at his watch. It was almost one-thirty, and everyone had at least taken twenty laps of the course. Casey was in the van now, just having some fun. He didn’t really need any help from Connor, and neither did Raph or Don. The three of them already knew how to drive and keep a vehicle at its limits for lengthy periods of time, so they were out just to have some fun. Mikey, Leo, and April needed a little more help, the three of them needing a basic understanding of vehicle dynamics. Mikey got it quickly from his experience in Forza, and Leo needed a lesson in weight shifting and how to manage it. April got it down after her lesson in being smooth with the controls, getting gradually quicker and quicker as time went on. 

A healthy little competition between the two Brooklynites was brewing. Casey was intent on getting the back end of the van to come around, but he couldn’t manage it. Raph just laughed at the antics. “That damn thing plows like a pig, you won’t get the ass end playing around any time soon!” The teenager laughed. “It has an open diff, so if you really chuck it in, you probably will just light up one wheel…” Don looked over. “How do you know it has an open diff?” Connor chuckled. “You can feel it if you add throttle. With a limited-slip, it’ll start to break away a bit under throttle on both sides. With an open, it just becomes boring and just spins up that inner wheel. No donuts with an open diff. It’s generally better for everyday driving, but when you want to have fun, it’s just a damper. I’m making sure whatever car April gets next has a limited-slip in it.” 

Raph chuckled. “You going to get her to start street drifting?” Connor shook his head. “It’s just more predictable, especially in a rear-drive car. You’ll start to feel the back end moving around a bit under throttle, which is the point of even having power at the back in my opinion. Hell, in my car I one-wheel it everywhere. It’s so boring.” Don chuckled and shook his head. “You’re crazy, babe. I love it.” The teenager laughed. “Yeah, you aren’t as crazy, but you’re more predictable. I like that… Oh, Raph, another reason for the limited-slip is in the snow. Think about it, if one tire lights up, you’re going nowhere. Most of the cars we are looking at weren’t sold in all-wheel drive with a stickshift, so even that will be a major help.” Raph chuckled. “Ya really do think through things, huh? I wouldn’t have thought about that until it was like October or some shit.” Don nodded. “He does think about things like that. Babe, what are you planning for those tables?” “Oh, a frame made of four-by-fours, with bracing of two-by-fours with a plywood top and some sort of oil stain.” Raph started laughing. “And you haven’t even gotten the wood yet… damn.” 

Casey pulled back over and got out of the van. “That was fun. What else do you plan on doing, Connor?” The teenager started laughing. “We need to clear these cones out first. Can you guys get on that?” Casey chuckled. “First one to get twenty cones gets lunch.” Raph laughed. “You’re on, buddy.” The two then darted off, picking up cones and stacking them in their arms. Don just laughed. “Raph’s going to take it. Casey’s fast, but Raph can almost glide on his feet if he needs to. You haven’t seen him on the rooftops yet, he is a big guy but it doesn’t seem like it the way he dashes from roof to roof.” The human chuckled. “Maybe, maybe not. What do you guys do on the rooftops anyway?” “We patrol the city. Stop petty crimes and stuff, break up fights. The usual. Would you want to come with us some day?” Connor nodded. “Of course I would. The problem is if I can even jump across rooftops. My luck is that I barely miss and then fall down and turn into a little red mess on the pavement.” Don shook his head. “You’ll be fine. We don’t usually run anyway, just walking. Plus rooftops in New York are kind of flat outside of Midtown, anyway. We mostly are climbing ladders and stuff to go from roof to roof, not jumping across them.” Connor smiled. “Then I guess I could go with you guys. Do you bring weapons with you?” Don nodded. “We don’t use our bare fists unless necessary, and I think you might appreciate using some sort of weapon. Do you have any idea of what kind of weapon you might like to use?” 

Connor shook his head. He hadn’t thought about that at all, instead focusing his efforts on teaching the others… and building tables. “I have no clue, babe. I did like that sword that bitch who tried to kill me had. It felt kind of nice in my hand, but with my luck I’d hurt myself more than whoever I’m fighting. I do have experience with guns, so that might change things a bit.” Don’s eyes widened. “You do?” “Well, if you count being in a gun class in Scouts, using 22 caliber bolt-action rifles, then sure. My aim isn’t worth a shit, though. Hand-eye coordination isn’t my forte, never has been.” The turtle laughed. “How bad are your eyes anyway?” Connor took off his glasses and handed them to Don. “Try them on.” Don put the glasses on and instantly took them right back off. “You’re blind!” The human chuckled as he put his glasses back on. “Yup, been that way since birth. It sucks. I legally can’t drive unless I have these things on, that’s how bad I have it. My right eye is significantly better than my left, too. So that doesn’t help.” 

Don smiled. “I doubt it does. So let me guess, for your weapon choice, you would like something you could carry with you concealed, but have it work every time?” Connor nodded. “Exactly. Something I can’t fuck up but have on me all the time. I can’t have anything strapped on my back like Leo does, because I’m obviously not a turtle. I also can’t dual wield in my belt like Raph because most human belts can’t hold shit like that. Like maybe put something under a jacket like in a shoulder holster type of thing. Think you can find something like that, babe?” Don just paused. “I think a traditional Japanese weapon like we use might not work, because that wouldn’t really make any sense for the types of fighting you would get into… hmm…” Connor chuckled. “Don’t think about it now, babe. It can wait.” Don froze before putting his head into his hand. “You’re right. Sorry, babe.” “It’s alright. Tomorrow you can think about it. Tonight though, I’m going to finish up this little misadventure and we can get some damn sleep together later.” Don chuckled. “Yeah, I’m getting a little tired. Caffeine is starting to wear off.” 

As he said that though, Casey and Raph walked back with the cones. Raph was still laughing. “Ya really think ya’d win against me?” Casey laughed. “It doesn’t hurt ta try. But now I gotta buy your ass lunch.” Connor chuckled. “That’s racing against Raph for you, Casey. You guys ready for the next lesson?” The two Brooklynites nodded. “Alright, that’s good.” Connor then whistled to April and the gang about fifty feet away. “I have more to teach you guys. This will be fun as well. Don knows what I’m about to teach, but the rest of you might want to listen up.” The three then walked back over towards the teenager, who was smiling and rubbing his hands together. Mikey frowned a bit. “That usually isn’t a good sign…” Connor laughed. “Well, it is now. When I refer to doing a handbrake turn, what does that reference?” Leo thought then guessed. “Using the handbrake to start a slide, like they do in drifting?” The teenager shook his head. “Mikey?” “When you pull the handbrake to lock the back wheels and then spin it around.” Connor chuckled. “I guess you have learned. Basically, a handbrake turn is using the… handbrake, obviously, to lock the back wheels and turn you around. It’s especially useful in tight spaces when you need to get out of somewhere quickly. I’m going to demonstrate with each of you first. Who wants to go first?” Mikey piped up. “I do!” Connor smiled. “Alright, go and get in the passenger’s side and buckle up.” The orange-banded turtle ran to the van and did so. Connor sighed. “What did I get myself into this time?” 

Don smiled. “Same thing you get yourself into all the time, babe. Just get out there.” The human paused. “Do you have anything I can keep the release on with? Since it’s a foot-operated one and I don’t want to hold the release as I kick it.” Don stopped and thought. “Maybe I have something, hang on.” He then went into the Battle Shell and pulled out a scrap piece of wood and some duct tape. “I’m guessing wedge the wood behind the lever and tape it in place under the dash?” Connor smiled. “I guess that’ll have to work. It’s not going to be permanent, that’s for sure.” The teen then walked back to the van with the supplies and opened the door, putting himself into the footwell and taping the piece of wood in between the dashboard and release lever. He set the tape to the side and kicked the handbrake a few times. It released every time, so that was good. Mikey just looked confused. “What were you doing?” Connor chuckled. “You know how most cars have the handbrake in a lever you pull up. This van has it on the floor over here, and I was taping the release so it wouldn’t lock up. You want that when you go to park, not when doing a handbrake turn.” 

Mikey laughed. “Yeah, that would be a bad idea. Are we going to start this now?” Connor nodded as he put the main camera on his head and turned it on. He then buckled up and adjusted the seat, moving around a little bit. The teenager then started the van, dropping it into first gear. “You ready, Mike?” The turtle nodded. “I’m ready.” Connor then floored the throttle, picking up speed until he got to a cone that was in the middle of the parking lot. He let off, swung the van quickly right then left and stomped on the handbrake. The rear wheels locked and the rear end of the van swung around. Connor got off the handbrake, flooring the throttle again for a smoky exit. Mikey started laughing. “That was great! Can you do it again?” As Mikey said that, Connor swung the van around the other way, turning the van around clockwise. 

The turtle just grinned as Connor then drove the van back around to the starting line, turning it around without the handbrake. Mikey hopped out, and Casey got in. “Give ‘er, bud.” Connor shook his head as he smashed the throttle down, getting up to about thirty miles per hour before flicking the van around. Casey just chuckled. “I can do that.” The teenager smiled. “I know you can. You aren’t my main priority here. Get out after I turn around and get Leo in here. I want to scare the shit out of him.” The man in the passenger’s seat laughed. “That’ll be fucking great. And this isn’t that bad compared to a reverse 180…” Connor chuckled deeply. “Oh, I know. That’s going to be even better.” The teenager then stopped the van at the line, and Casey got out, telling Leo to get in. The blue-banded turtle groaned as he got into the van. “Don’t scare me too much, alright. I know what you’re doing, but still.” The human chuckled. “You might want to buckle up then, it won’t be fun if you’re flying all around in here.” 

Leo smiled as he buckled his seat belt before saying “I’m ready.” Connor shook his head as he took off, not flooring the throttle, but coasting gently to twenty-five miles an hour. He then chucked the van’s weight around, locking up the handbrake, turning around the cone. Leo froze a bit, and Connor stopped. “You alright, Leo?” The turtle chuckled. “I’m fine, just a little shaken up. I wasn’t really expecting that.” Connor laughed. “I can chuck it in harder if you want me to…” Leo shook his head. “I’m good, and guessing from that look on your face, the thing we’re doing after is probably going to actually scare me.” The human grinned. “You’re going first when I get around to that. Sorry about that.” Leo groaned again. “Really?” “When you’re doing evasive maneuvers like this, there is no time to be scared or fear doing anything. You need to remain in control of the vehicle, even if emotions may try to come through. You know exactly what I’m talking about, in battle especially. When I was fleeing from that van, I was fucking scared. Scared of what would happen, fearing the unknown. But instead of getting freaked out, I used techniques I learned to evade them, leaving the thinking to later.” 

The turtle shook his head. “You’re right. I guess just things like this in cars scares me a bit. After all, it is a valid emotion.” Connor chuckled as he pulled up to the start line. “Now, pretend there is a guy tailing us.” He then smashed the throttle down, getting the van to thirty miles per hour before chucking the van into a full weight shift, locking up the handbrake to spin around the cone and then keeping the throttle pegged and getting out of there. He then slowed down to a stop. “See there, Leo? I went all-out, with all the gusto I could give it. You don’t seem as scared now.” Leo grinned. “I guess the imagery helped.” Connor laughed. “I guess I have to relate everything to battle with you. Is that all you think about, ever?” Leo shook his head. “Of course not, but I do have an unhealthy obsession with it.” The human chuckled. “Speaking about unhealthy obsessions, get out of this damn van. Get April in here.” Leo snorted. “Alright, jeeze.” The turtle unbuckled and got out of the van, motioning April to get in.

After about twenty minutes, all of the party had ridden along with Connor and then done at least three successful handbrake turns, even April. She was surprised that she got it perfectly on the second try. Connor just laughed. “Don’t worry about it, April. You got it.” Once they were all done and filmed, Connor got back into the van, telling Leo to get into the passenger’s seat. “This is how I teach them this time.” Leo got in and buckled in, and Connor popped the van into reverse. He accelerated briskly up to thirty miles per hour, before inducing a weight shift by lifting off the gas, a little bit of steering one way, and full lock in the other. The front end of the van swung around as the teenager put the van into Drive, powering out of the slide. Leo was muttering in the passenger’s side. “H-h-oly s-shit.” Connor started laughing. “Was that worse than the handbrake turns?” Leo shook his head. “I just wasn’t expecting it. You shifted the weight around and spun it around?” The human nodded. “Exactly, now you’re getting it. Would you have ever guessed you would be talking about vehicle dynamics like that?” Leo shook his head again. “Never, I guess there’s always a reason to learn. Thanks for this, honestly. I really needed the lessons.” Connor waved his hand in the air. “I’m here for a reason, even if I still don’t know what that reason is…” Leo grinned. “At least you know you’re here for some reason. I’m going to get out now…” 

Connor stopped the van and let Leo out, chuckling. He didn’t expect the lessons to go this well for either side of the coin. It was a great feeling, to say the least. Each of the members of the so-called family surprised him in some way, good or bad. Connor then started laughing. “I still can’t believe Leo can even explain what I just did. That’s insane!” He just chuckled to himself some more. It all was truly unbelievable, but still it happened. That was pretty much the story of his life for the past week, and it was working beautifully.

* * *

*Initial D paper cup trick - in the manga/anime known as Initial D, the main character, Takumi Fujiwara, is taught how to race in the mountains of Japan by his father unknowingly. His father, Bunta, used a paper cup full of water in the cupholder to smooth his son’s driving at incredibly high speeds.

** open / limited slip differential - With a normal (open) differential, when a wheel loses traction, all the power goes to the spinning wheel, not letting you drive on slippery surfaces with any sort of predictability. With a limited slip differential, torque is split between the two wheels more evenly, so it is more predictable on slippery surfaces, and it allows fun things like drifting and donuts.

* * *


	11. Melancholy

RECOMMENDED LISTENING:  
My Little Apple (小苹果) - Chopstick Brothers  
A Chinese pop song about love. It was a major hit three years ago in the mainland, and there’s a dance for it and everything. **It’s horribly catchy and will be stuck in your head for at least three days if you listen to it… ask me how I know.**

Luke Cage - AJ Tracey  
AJ has got to be one of the best grime artists as of right now. He’s not a Skepta or a Stormzy, but he has his own take of the scene and the way his music sounds shows that fact.

* * *

* * *

Saturday, February 3, 2018, 3:08 AM

* * *

The lessons for the rest of the night had gone… not quite as well as the handbrake turns. Raph had issues swinging the front end of the van around fully, and Leo was afraid he was going to break the van. April kept hitting the brake halfway through the maneuver, and Mikey didn’t lift off the gas before shifting the weight around. However, with enough time and patience, everyone got it down. Now, everyone was packing up. April was in her van, putting everything that slid around in their proper places. Connor was getting all the cameras, working on the outside camera. He turned it off, putting it in his bag and folding the tripod. He walked back to the Battle Shell, where Don was cleaning some of the garbage out of the back. Connor chuckled as he sat his bag in the passenger’s seat. Don looked over and smiled. “You think you can drive this thing back? I’m about to pass out right about now.” The human sighed. “Sure, I guess I could. Better me driving than you at this moment, I guess. I couldn’t be any more awake if I tried.” The turtle looked over and smiled. “You mind if I sleep on the way?” Connor shook his head. “I just want you to be awake enough to get to our room, babe.” 

Don just chuckled. “Just tell Mikey to shut up if he comments about me sleeping.” Connor laughed. “Can do.” Connor then hopped into the driver’s seat of the Battle Shell, adjusting it to the right position. “Everyone’s almost done, so you might want to get in, babe.” Don laughed. ‘Alright, alright.” The turtle then got into the passenger’s seat, buckling up and reclining down to where it was almost flat. “That’s better.” Connor laughed. “I wish I could do that right now, but alas.” He then honked the horn, and everyone looked back and groaned. Leo got into the back first. “Don’t do anything stupid, Connor.’ Don chuckled a bit. “He’ll be fine, Leo. This is the Battle Shell, not April’s van. It’s like twice the weight with the s...” Don snored after that, finally passing out. Raph got in and just snorted. “He’s completely out, huh?” Connor nodded. “Looks like it. That’s good, I have something I’ve got to talk to you all about. You already know.” Raph chuckled. “The surprise?” The human nodded. “Get Mikey in here, I’m going to put on some relaxing music so he stays asleep until we get home.” Raph whistled, and Mikey ran toward the black armored van. Connor connected to the stereo in the van and put on some very mellow chilled out music. 

Mikey got into the van and sat down. “What’s the relaxed music for?” Connor gestured to Don before putting a finger to his lips. “Shhh… I’ll tell you once we get going.” Leo looked confused. “What did you do with the cameras?” Connor smirked. “I made it look like the computer crashed of its own accord. There’s no traces of me being in there at all, don’t worry. We won’t be on the news or anything.” Leo chuckled. “Okay, I was just worried there for a second.” “Don’t worry about it, they’ll come to check and it’ll look like the main computer just crashed and shut down. There magically won’t be any reason why it shut off, but it did. I may have hacked into it and brute forced a shutdown, but hey. If it works, it works. I guess when I’m going out later I can come back when they’re open and hear in to what the management is saying.” He then put the vehicle into gear, pulling out of the parking lot and onto 20th Avenue. “So, here’s the thing. I may have bought twenty-five hundred bucks of upgrades for this van.” Leo froze. “Really?” Connor nodded. “I have. They need to be picked up on Monday, and I have a few more errands to do then too. But that’s not the main thing…” Don snored a bit before he moved a bit. Connor shook his head and smiled. “Raph, do you want to explain the second part of the surprise?” 

Raph laughed. “He’s already planned an entire romantic dinner on the eleventh and I’m installing all of those parts once Don’s gone.” Leo’s eyes widened. “Are you kidding?” Connor shook his head. “Nope, not kidding. I’ve borrowed a friend’s apartment for the eleventh through the twelfth and while Don and I are spending some time together, per se, Raph is going to install the parts to this thing. Remember, don’t any of you say a _fucking word_ to Don about any of this. Especially you, Mikey.” The orange-banded turtle shivered a bit. “I won’t say anything, I swear. You do have this all planned out, right?” Connor nodded. “If there is anything I would plan out to overkill it’s something like this. Leo, you’re the master planner, but even you would be surprised.” Leo chuckled. “I’m not going to even ask. I have full trust that you know what you are doing.” Connor smiled. “That’s the attitude I need. But yeah, anyway. I’m going to set up a group text with all of us when we get home, so I can tell you guys what I’m doing when this all is coming together.” Leo nodded. “I think we get it. No saying anything to anyone besides you. Anything else?” “That’s about it. I’m going to turn the music up a bit so Don stays asleep.” 

About twenty minutes later, Connor pulled the van into the garage. He shut it off and everyone got out besides Don, who was still in the passenger’s seat asleep. All the rest of the turtles got into the elevator, and Connor chuckled quietly. He grabbed his bag out of the passenger’s side footwell, and slung it around his back as he got out. Walking around, he opened the door on the passenger’s side and unbuckled Don, breathing in before sliding his arms underneath the turtle, carrying him in a bridal position out of the van and closing the door with the side of his body. “Holy shit, he’s heavy…” Connor said to himself as he slowly walked toward the elevator, opening the doors with his knee. Don mumbled a bit before Connor carried him into the elevator. It automatically closed the doors and started hurtling down toward the lair, quicker than usual. Thirty very-long seconds later, Connor stumbled out of the elevator with Don still in his arms. The rest of the brothers looked at the human as he did so, and snickered. Connor shook his head and pushed the door to their room open, setting Don down on it. 

The human then unbuckled all of Don’s gear, setting it all down on the floor. Then, he untied Don’s mask, putting it on the floor with the rest of the leather pads. Connor sighed and chuckled at what he had to do. Closing the door, he walked down the stairs, and Raph started the conversation. “I’m surprised ya could carry him that far… how do your arms feel?” Connor chuckled. “My arms almost gave out as soon as I walked out of the elevator. How much does he weigh?” Raph chuckled. “About one-eighty.” Connor sighed. “So basically, I was carrying my body weight on each of my arms… Yeah, he said he would wake up when we got home. That was bullshit, huh.” Raph laughed. “I’m still surprised ya could even carry him like that. I thought he woulda crushed ya.” Connor shook his head. “I’m fine.” Leo chuckled. “Raph is right though. I’m surprised you could hold Don like that for ten seconds, let alone a full minute.” Connor shrugged. “Gotta do what you gotta do, I guess. Anyway, I’m going to bed. I’m wiped.” Leo nodded. “Me too. Goodnight, Connor.” The human saluted as he walked up the stairs. 

Getting into their room, Connor silently undressed before laying down next to Don. He sat his glasses on the nightstand and smiled. He still couldn’t believe the turtle, who still laid asleep. “He must have been really fuckin’ tired,” Connor thought to himself. He too was tired, so he pulled the sheets over him and his lover and laid his head down. Going to sleep almost instantly, Connor still had a smile on his face.

* * *

5:42 AM

* * *

Connor’s eyes opened, he couldn’t sleep. He had tossed and turned for these past couple of hours, not able to fully get to a deep sleep. He sighed quietly and looked at his phone. “It’s five forty-five… god damnit. I probably need some fresh air.” He got up slowly out of the bed, putting on his clothes from last night. He took a piece of paper and a pencil and wrote down a small note, putting it on the nightstand before he grabbed his jacket, wallet, and phone before opening the elevator and walking in. As the elevator hurtled upward, Connor just sighed. He started to feel awfully homesick, which wasn’t great. The door to the elevator opened to the garage, and Connor pressed the button on the wall to open the garage. The wall started to lift up, and he walked out onto the sidewalk. None of the surroundings felt right to the teenager. 

He was used to the suburban hell he grew up in. People probably cared a bit too much, but having open roads and trees was quite a difference to Manhattan. Suburban Atlanta isn’t the most exciting place, but it felt like home to Connor. Walking down the sidewalk, he could only look around. There were buildings on either side of this street, and cars parked on either side. Looking up, Connor could only see skyscrapers, not trees or sky really. New York was nice, but it wasn’t home in the teenager’s head. Walking across 2nd Avenue, he hurried to the sidewalk across the street. He was heading toward a bodega that was on the corner of 2nd and 52nd. 

Walking into the store, the smell of food and stale tobacco washed over the teenager. He just chuckled and walked up to the counter. The guy in the back looked over. “Be with ya in a second.” Connor smiled. “Take your time.” The man in the back finished his task, and turned around to face the teenager. “What can I do ya for?” Connor chuckled. “I need two chopped cheeses, please.” The man behind the counter chuckled. “I’m surprised someone who isn’t from New York even knows what a chopped cheese is… What do you want on them?” Connor paused. “Hmm, can you do bacon, egg and cheese? Make it like a breakfast sandwich but better.” The guy chuckled. “That actually sounds pretty damn good. I’ve never had anyone make a chopped cheese like a breakfast sandwich. Fuck it, I’m gonna make one of those for myself.” Connor laughed. “Great minds think alike, huh?” The man laughed. “Yeah, that’s right. Where are you from anyway? I can’t figure it out. You sound like you’re from the West Coast.” Connor shook his head. “I’m from Atlanta, or the suburbs anyway. You?” “The Bronx, pretty much. When did you come here?”

Connor sighed. “Last week, matter of fact. Let’s say this past week has been challenging, to say the least. I just woke up because I couldn’t sleep worth a shit.” The man shook his head. “I know exactly what you’re talkin’ about.” Connor smiled as the man behind the counter put the sandwiches together. “You need anything else, bud?” “Nope, just those sandwiches and I need to grab a couple of other small things while I’m here.” Connor then walked to a cooler and grabbed two cans of Monster, setting them on the counter. “You can ring me up now.” The guy behind the counter chuckled. “What’s your name, bud?” “Connor, you?” “Hakim. You can joke about the Arabic dude behind the counter if you want to.” 

“No need. Nice to meet you, Hakim. I’m probably going to be here quite often, I live a block from here.” Hakim laughed. “Yeah, that’s the bodega life for ya. Everyone has their bodega, grew up with it. I’m guessing you don’t really understand.” Connor shook his head. “Back home, I had a couple of small convenience stores. One was run by Bob, and the other by Sammy. Those probably aren’t their real names, but alas. My best friend was called a drug addict by Sammy once because he was buying energy drinks all the time.” Hakim chuckled. “Yeah, that’s not the best thing to say to a customer… It’ll be eleven bucks, Connor.” The teenager pulled out his debit card, and Hakim swiped it in the register. The receipt started to print, and the man handed it to the teenager. “Have a great day, Connor.” “You too, Hakim. I’ll probably see you again too many times than I care to remember.” Hakim laughed as Connor walked out of the store. Connor put the sandwiches in the inner pockets of his jacket, and the cans in the outer pockets. He started to tear up, even thinking about his best friend made the homesickness worse.

Even remembering the antics of that convenience store worker named “Sammy” and his best friend made Connor freeze. His friend was named Juan, an eighteen-year-old mixed-race dude of Mexican and white origin. They both had pretty much the same sense of humor, and both had a horribly black outlook of humanity. Jokes about brutally murdering multiple people were the norm. Connor could only remember when the two went to eat. He wanted some Mexican food, and Juan tagged along with him. He was driving his dad’s first-generation Ford Focus, and the antics of the two were endless. They saw someone in one of those Statue of Liberty suits and laughed. As Juan put it on Snapchat, Connor almost missed the light just looking and laughing. 

Juan also grew up very similarly to Connor, too. Connor wanted to buy a meal for his friend, both to spend some time together, but also because Juan sometimes had no food at his house. His mother tried to provide, but sometimes it wasn’t enough. His dad had left years ago, and his mother had a variety of boyfriends over time, abusive or not. He had four siblings, two brothers and two sisters. One of his sisters still lived at home and she already had a kid. She had her problems with drugs of various forms, from alcohol and weed to even synthetic cannabinoids, or what someone from their area would refer to as “gucci”. Juan wasn’t into that stuff, he just smoked weed and drank on occasion, sometimes to excess to drown out the shit that was going on in his life. It was very similar to Connor, who instead turned to the Internet and cars to drown out the shit outside his little bubble. Taking the Escort out for a spirited drive on some of the backroads was better than busting out into tears. 

At the time, Connor was driving up 985 to get to Exit 20 with Juan in the passenger’s seat of his dad's little Ford Focus. It wasn’t his Escort, which surprised Juan. “So, what happened to the piece of shit?” Connor growled. “Timing belt’s fucked up, I gotta tear the fuckin’ thing half apart to get to it. So, I’m driving this thing.” Juan shook his head. “Mind if I put some music on?” Connor shook his head. “I want some deathcore.” Juan laughed. “Why did I turn you onto that shit? You look like this average ass white dude but you like all of the music I listen to.” Connor shrugged. “I dunno, you tell me. All I do know is I’m hungry.” Juan chuckled. “Me too, that’s where we are going, right bitch?” “Hey, fuck you, I’m the one driving us there, so don’t insult me. I can turn this damn thing around right now if you want me to.” Juan laughed. “I’m good, thanks. Where are we going again?” “Moe’s. Basically, a Mexican joint with white people working there.” Juan laughed. “White people ruin everything.” Connor chuckled. “Tell me about it. We’re so boring.” He then stopped at a traffic light, smiling. “You’ll like this place I bet.” Juan shrugged. “I guess we will find out, huh?” Connor turned left onto Pearl Nix and slotted the Focus into fifth gear, cruising down the divided road. 

Pulling into the restaurant about five minutes later, they got out. Connor locked the car, and the two walked in. Juan started as soon as he walked in. “This place is pretty cool, I guess.” Connor chuckled. “The food’s better.” They got into the line in the front of the restaurant. Connor ordered first, he got a steak burrito with a variety of toppings. Juan followed suit, because he didn’t really know what he wanted. Going up to the register, the cashier said. “That’ll be twenty one dollars and forty-two cents.” Connor smiled and pulled out his debit card, handing it to the lady. She swiped it and handed it back. Signing the slip, Connor looked at Juan and chuckled. He did have feelings for his friend, but his friend was very straight. Juan had a girlfriend and all, so all hopes Connor had been pretty dashed. While Juan was still building his burrito, Connor sat his food down at a table and got a drink. The restaurant had one of those Coca-Cola Freestyle machines in it with all the flavors, so he got a Dr. Pepper with Cherry Vanilla flavoring in it. He put the lid on his cup and sat back down, Juan joining him. The two ate their burritos in between conversation, Juan devouring his especially quickly.

Getting back into the gold Focus about twenty-five minutes later, Connor just chuckled. “Seems like you really liked that food, huh?” Juan nodded. “You were right, I really liked it.” Connor snorted. “Now, if you could suck dick like you sucked down that burrito…” Juan growled. “Nigga, shut the fuck up. You’re the gay one, not me.” The teen in the driver’s seat laughed. “At least I know the finer things in life, just happens to be on both sides.” Juan shook his head. “You need some pussy, nigga. All that gay shit will be wiped out of your head.” Connor shook his head. “There’s a certain art to having eight guys spraying all over you… wait that was you, not me. Whoops.” Juan just shook his head again. “You keep forgetting I’m straight.” Connor laughed. “You keep saying that, it might actually come true.” He then started the car and backed out of the parking space, turning onto Shallowford Road. Juan turned the metal back on, completely unfazed from the gay jokes. 

Connor leaned against a building and started to sob. He had left his home, with Juan and all his friends and his family, for what? What was the reason he left besides his gut telling him to? New York felt like a foreign land, with an entire paradigm shift. Even if he wasn’t the biggest fan of living in Georgia, it still felt like home. He ducked down an alley, noticing a ladder. He slowly climbed up to the roof, sighing. “I get why the guys go up on the roofs now, it’s actually kind of peaceful.” He continued climbing up, until he got to about the sixth story of the building he was on, sitting down against an air conditioning unit. He took one of the sandwiches and drinks out of his jacket, trying to shake those negative thoughts out of his head. New York wasn’t all that bad… but it still didn’t feel like home.

* * *

7:07 AM

* * *

Don woke up, slowly opening his eyes. He didn’t see Connor anywhere. However, there was a note on the nightstand. Don sat up, stretching. He took the note and tried to read it, but Connor’s chicken-scratch handwriting didn’t help. He focused his eyes on the paper and read it. “Hey babe. I couldn’t sleep, so here this is. I’m out somewhere, probably won’t be able to figure out where I am. I am getting you breakfast, so don’t worry about that. I’ve just been feeling awfully homesick, and getting some fresh air outside the lair probably might help. I’m not trying to run from you or anything. Remember, 我爱你，我的小苹果.” 

Don got up and took the note into his lab, trying to figure out what the Chinese characters said. He opened Google Translate and scanned in the note. The website came up and translated it. Don looked at the screen. The Chinese meant “I love you, my little apple”. Don smiled. “He even thought of me in Chinese. How romantic,” he thought. He opened another program to track where Connor was. After about ten seconds, it caught a signal and told the turtle that his lover was on a roof about ten blocks away. Don smiled and got up out of the computer chair, heading back to his room to put his gear back on. Walking down the stairs, he headed into the dojo. Leo was there, and looked up at the purple-banded turtle. “What’s up, Don?” Don shook his head. “Connor left to get some fresh air. Even left me a note. Did you see him earlier?” Leo shook his head. “I haven’t. I’m guessing he was out before I even woke up. What does the note say?” Don smiled. “He said he couldn’t sleep, so he went out to get some air and he got me some breakfast. Also left a little note in Chinese for me.” Leo looked confused. “Chinese?” 

Don nodded as he held the note out. “Read it.” Leo looked down and chuckled. “He really did write Chinese on here. What does it mean?” The purple-banded turtle smiled. “It’s basically ‘I love you’. Anyway, I’m going out to find him and probably talk. I figured something like this would happen considering his life has changed in almost every way since last week.” Leo nodded. “I did too, to be honest. To go through something like that takes some serious mental strength, and the sleep deprivation probably broke him a bit. Go talk to him, I’ll tell Father later.” Don then saluted as he turned around, grabbing his bo staff as he walked out of the dojo. “You can’t be too careful,” Don thought. After about a minute, he was on the sidewalk outside the garage. 

The turtle looked at his phone and it told him to go in the alley and go up the ladder, and go three stories up before jumping across five and going up two more to get to Connor. Don chuckled as he turned on his human disguise and walked around the block, getting into the alley behind their garage. He turned it back off, climbing up the ladder and hurling himself up a story with his bo. He continued to follow his phone’s footsteps, jumping up three stories before walking down roofs until he got to the roof Connor was on about five minutes later. He called out “Babe, where are you?” Connor called out in response. “Over here by this AC unit.” Don laughed and saw his lover sitting down, drinking a Monster. He sat down next to Connor and smiled. “What’s up, babe?” Connor shook his head. “I’m kind of homesick and sitting here looking at you. Hang on.” Connor pulled the other chopped cheese and Monster out of his jacket. Don’s eyes widened. “Babe, you didn’t have to.”

Connor waved his hand in the air. “It’s okay. I’d rather feed you than not. You do know what a chopped cheese is, right?” Don nodded. “I live in New York. Of course I do.” Connor chuckled. “Never know with some people. I made it like a breakfast sandwich sort of thing. I hope it’s still warm, I got it at like six.” The turtle took the sandwich and felt it. “It’s still pretty warm, I’m guessing you helped it.” Connor chuckled. “I’m sorry for running off like this.” Don bit into the sandwich and shook his head. Swallowing, he smiled. “First, this sandwich is great, and second, no it’s not a problem babe. Everyone becomes homesick at one point or another, and I figured you would probably get it pretty badly. Also, what did that “my little apple” part of the Chinese mean?” Connor laughed. “It’s a reference to a Chinese pop song of the same name. Basically a love song, and when I called you “my little apple” it’s basically an endearment thing. I can bring up the song if you want me to.” Don chuckled. “That sounds great.” 

Connor groaned. “Are you sure? This song is literally the catchiest song to ever exist.” Don nodded. “I guess if it gets stuck in my head, I’ll think of you every time it plays.” Connor smiled as he hugged Don. “That works, babe. Hang on.” Connor opened Spotify in his phone, scrolling through his added songs until he found it. He turned the volume up and started playing the song. The turtle just looked over and smiled. Connor was bobbing his head to the beat, and when the chorus kicked in, the human started singing along with it. “Ni shi wo de xiao ya xiao ping guo… Zen me ai ni dou bu xian duo…” Don chuckled. “Where did you even learn this song from?” Connor stopped singing and sighed, pausing the music. “It was in seventh grade, in my Chinese class. My teacher was Miss Yi, or Zeng Yi in Chinese. She brought this up on the projector and asked us to try to dance along to it. Yes, there’s a dance for it, and yes it looks stupid. Anyway, we danced to it and learned the lyrics. That’s how I know the chorus, pretty much. I fucking miss those days… Back when all I had to care about was school and not how my parents were getting along, or the money status we were in.” 

Don hugged Connor, squeezing him a bit. “I’m sorry babe.” Connor shook his head. “It’s not your fault. I just didn’t know then that our finances were so tight that we would be living in a tent again, almost anyway.” The turtle looked over in surprise. “Again?” Connor nodded, sighing again. “Back in 2008 when the Recession was in full swing, my mom made less than she ever did, and my dad lost his meager-paying job. They both tried to scrape money together, pawning things even to get enough money to get through that month’s set of bills. It’s not a way to live at all, trust me. We were kicked out of our place because my parents didn’t pay the rent for like six months straight. So, we lived in a tent for about five months until we found another place to live. It was technically a roof over my head, but it was a canvas roof.” 

Connor paused and continued, trying not to tear up. “After that, we moved to a smaller house and it was… not the best, to say the least. Me and my sister shared a room and we had no heat in the place. Georgia winters never felt so cold, let me tell you. My mom used to put the next morning’s clothes in the dryer for about ten minutes so there was at least that snap of warmth. They both tried, they did. But it really didn’t work, to be honest. My dad, who was the father figure, was broken. He could have bursted into tears at any point in all of that. My mom had turned into more of a bitch than she had ever been, blaming it all on him. After about a year of that, we moved into the house next door. That is where we lived from then until the present, really. My parents split up, and life was getting at least a little more peaceful. I just happened to grow highly cynical and depressed as shit while all of that happened.” 

Don kissed Connor. “It’s alright, babe. You’re out of that now, thank god. So, why were you all homesick now?” Connor shrugged. “I was just thinking about my friends and my family, mostly. I took my friend out to eat like three weeks ago and I could only think about that. I scared him a bit when I chirped into second in the rain… I do have to admit I was sobbing thinking of all of that. My friends at school are now… fucking gone. I highly doubt I can talk to my best friend again, ever. I can’t even give my dad a fuckin’ hug right now. That’s fucking pathetic, isn’t it?” Connor stopped talking, bursting into tears at even the thought. Don didn’t know what to do with the human, he just hugged him tighter. Connor could only continue crying, the little relief it got him. He eased up on the tears a bit, starting to talk a bit. “Where I am from might be kind of depressing, but it’s still where I came from. The time I bumped into my car in the front yard, or when one of my friends slid his car into the ditch on that scary ass backroad. I might not have liked the culture around there, with a KKK Grand Dragon formerly living three doors down. There were damn black people fishing off the porch, and a Confederate flag on the flagpole in the front yard.”

Don chuckled. “Are you serious?” Connor nodded. “As serious as he was seriously racist. There’s irony in all of that though. He moved out, and his daughter moved into the place. Guess who she married?” Don shook his head. “Who?” “A black dude. The daughter of the former KKK Grand Dragon married a black dude.” The turtle chuckled. “That’s pretty good. Sounds like some shit you would hear on Jerry Springer, not in real life.” Connor nodded. “Yup, exactly. The area has a lot of negative memories for me, as well as positive ones. But, it’s not a rooftop somewhere in Manhattan, with my lover on it sitting with me eating a chopped cheese.” Don laughed. “Yeah, it’s not. Is that a bad thing?” Connor shook his head. “It’s not. But I’m still kind of homesick. I can’t replicate the feeling of whipping my car around the Walmart parking lot at three in the morning sneaking out, or the smell of the Bradford pear trees blooming in the spring. Smells like cum… but everywhere. It’s not the best.” Don laughed. “We don’t get those in New York, really. So it literally smells like someone busted in front of your face?” Connor nodded. “For five weeks straight.” 

The turtle started laughing. “That’s pretty terrible.” Connor chuckled. “Tell me about it. One thing I do notice though, my allergies are way better up here. Back home in spring, literally everything has a beeline for my nose, making every sort of liquid possible run out of my face for two months straight.” Don chuckled. “Turtles don’t get allergies thankfully. I would hate to have them.” “Trust me, I know. I live it every day. Oh, something I forgot to tell you about being wrong with me is that I have scoliosis.” Don’s eyes widened. “Really?” Connor chuckled. “Do you need to X-ray me for proof? Anyway, it doesn’t affect me generally unless my back just decides to start hurting for no reason. So, there’s that.” The turtle smiled. “If it doesn’t affect you, I don’t have to worry. Thanks for telling me though, babe.” 

Connor smiled. “Anytime. So, are you going to finish eating that?” Don nodded. “Sorry, I forgot about it for a second there.” He took a bite of the sandwich, moaning a bit. “This is so good for breakfast. I never would have tried mixing a bacon egg and cheese with a chopped cheese. It’s kind of like a breakfast burger on a hero!” Connor laughed. “I guess you could put it that way. I was just hungry.” Don chuckled. “You’re always hungry.” Connor licked his lips. “I might be hungry for something else too…” Don growled a bit. “I’m here for the taking, babe.” Connor hugged the turtle, kissing Don and leaning against him. Don squeezed his lover, bringing the human closer to him and deepening the kiss. 

Connor pulled away after a minute or so. “That sandwich does taste damn good, especially on you.” Don grinned. “Want another taste?” Connor dove back into Don’s mouth, their tongues flicking around each other. Don pulled away a bit, laughing. “Why are you so perfect, babe?” Connor chuckled in response. “I was about to ask the same thing. You always come to help me out when I’m broken like this. It’s still kind of weird.” Don pulled Connor back in closer to him and continued their kissing. The human could only oblige, relaxing his body and falling into the turtle’s comforting grip. Don pulled himself away from the kiss and chuckled. “I love you, babe. And it’s not weird for me to help you out, you know. You’re not a robot, and you feel emotions like happiness or homesickness.” Connor sighed. “Yeah true. I just feel kind of vulnerable… I dunno.” 

Don smiled. “It’s alright, babe. If I were in your shoes right now, I would be locked in my room crying my eyes out for days on end. You’re stronger than that, which surprised me.” Connor chuckled. “I guess so. I have a question.” “Sure.” “What do you think I should do about all the people I’ve left? Just pretend they don’t exist anymore?” Don froze. “To be honest, babe, I don’t know. It depends on the person, I guess. I’d assume just don’t talk to anyone until we are ready for it.” The human sighed. “I do admit I’ve been stalking what my friends have been doing for the past few days, staying hidden from their sight. My friends have been missing me and wondering where I went. It’s pretty sad to see, considering I didn’t get to say goodbye to anyone.” Don frowned a bit. “Yeah, that’s what happens when you have to flee, generally. That’s the worst part, isn’t it?” Connor nodded. “It feels like a spike was driven into my chest as I thought about it.” 

Don grinned. “Speaking of thinking… I think I may have come up with a weapon for you, by the way. I’ll show you an example when we get back.” Connor smiled. “That sounds great. But, I have a problem. Xiao Ping Guo is stuck in my head right now…” Don laughed. “Sadly, for me it is too. You didn’t lie when you said it was catchy.” The human laughed. “I wasn’t kidding. Finish your drink, babe. Without any sort of caffeine, you’re going to be nodding off in your lab.” Don shook his head as he turned the black-and-green can upside down into his mouth. Connor chuckled. “I guess you like those things now?” Don nodded. “Doesn’t taste too bad and I can already feel it kicking in.” The human shook his head. “That’s the taurine in them. The caffeine is just an addition. I can figure you know what taurine does in the body.” Don nodded. “Of course I do. Anyway, yeah. Thanks for the impromptu breakfast babe.” Connor chuckled as he leaned up against Don. “Not a problem, babe. Thanks for listening to me, you’re pretty much the only one who will listen without spitting out some wacky idea that won’t work.” 

The turtle smirked. “Any time, babe. Do you want to still hang out up here for a while?” Connor nodded. “We have nothing else to do, right?” Don shook his head. “Not really. Are you planning on doing anything?” Connor shook his head. “Just want to sit here with you looking out this way. New York might not be Georgia, but sitting here looking at the ports and LaGuardia over there, it looks like it’s a living thing.” Don nodded. “It is the city that never sleeps, after all.” Connor chuckled. “I could go to sleep in your arms right now, much like you did last night.” The turtle blushed. “I woke up and noticed I was in bed. Did you carry me in?” The human nodded. “Bridal-style, all the way from the garage to our room. Let’s say my arms were about to give out once I got into the lair. You’re surprisingly bulky. Raph and Leo were surprised I could even carry you for that long.” Don chuckled. “Me too, to be honest. You look like I could have crushed you.” Connor shook his head. “It’s fine, babe. I managed not to wake you up and got you down to our room. My arms are still a little sore from all of that, though.” 

Don grinned. “I still can’t believe you carried me all the way down to the lair. You’re mental.” “Well, I had to do what I had to do. I didn’t want to leave you in the Shell, so there’s that. But yeah, after only sleeping like three hours, I’m pretty fuckin’ tired. I don’t think an energy drink helped.” The purple-banded turtle laughed. “I guess we can get some more sleep when we get back down to the lair. You can get down from here, right?” Connor nodded. “I’ll be fine. I’m not completely exhausted yet.” Don stood up after that, pulling his lover up off the air-conditioning unit. “Well, let’s go then.” Connor smiled as the two slowly got off the rooftops, eventually getting down to the alley, the two taking their time. Don wanted to make sure Connor didn’t get hurt, and Connor didn’t really feel in the mood for running. 

When the two finally touched the ground, Connor surprised Don with a tight hug. “Thanks for helping me out this morning, it really means a lot, babe.” Don chuckled and leaned down for a kiss. “You said it was your job to turn me on, my job is to make you feel comfortable in any way I need to. It seems like it has worked.” The human chuckled as they walked around the alley and into the garage. Don laughed before he picked Connor up, carrying him to the elevator. Connor grinned. “I guess this is payback for last night?” Don nodded. “You’re also light, so it’s a bit easier for me. Remember, I didn’t ask you to carry me to bed.” Connor blushed. “And I’m not asking you to do the same right now. Please put me down though, it’s kind of unnerving.” Don sighed as he sat Connor back down on the floor of the elevator. The human smiled before kissing Don. “I’m sorry, babe. I just don’t like being picked up all that much. I’m not asleep either. Oh, I have a question.” Don smiled. “What?” “Do you remember anything from the drive home at all?” The turtle shook his head. “Once I reclined that seat, I was out. Why?” Connor shook his head. “Nothing, just asking. You were out cold.” 

The doors opened to the lair, and the two walked into their room soon after. Closing the door, Don chuckled. “You’re so weird, babe. Honestly.” Connor smirked as he took his jacket off. “Look in the mirror. You’re you. That has to say something.” Don grinned. “That’s true. You want your sweatpants?” Connor nodded. “They’re more comfortable to lay around in than jeans.” The turtle groaned. “I’ve had to wear jeans for disguise before… they aren’t made for turtles, I can tell you that much.” The human chuckled. “I bet you looked good in them, though.” Don blushed. “I doubt it. Anyway, here you go.” Connor took the gray sweatpants and slid them on. Laying on the bed, the human sighed. “I like laying back down here. It’s better than waking up at five forty-five in a cold sweat like I did earlier.” 

Don shook his head. “I’m sorry that happened, babe.” Connor waved his hand in the air. “It’s alright babe, it’s not your fault. It’s my brain saying ‘fuck you’ and making me think of shit.” Don climbed into the bed and wrapped his arm around the human. The human looked over and kissed Don. “Wo ai ni, wo de xiao ping guo.” The turtle grinned. “I love you too, babe. Now, let’s actually get some sleep, huh?” “Hen hao de.” Don could only smile. “What does that mean?” “It means very good. I guess teaching you Chinese in drips and drabs will be a little mini-game.” Don smiled. “I guess so. Anyway, I love you in every language.” Connor grinned. “I love you too, babe.” He then laid his head on the pillow, quickly going to sleep in the turtle’s loving arms. 

Sometimes, running away wasn’t such a bad thing.

* * *

11:08 AM

* * *

Don opened his eyes, still feeling his lover against him. He smiled at the feeling. Connor was still dozing, completely unaware that the turtle had even woken up. Don chuckled quietly as he got off the bed and put on his gear. Walking out of their room, he was careful to be silent as he went down the stairs. Raph looked over and shook his head. The purple-banded turtle sat on the couch starting the conversation. “What?” Raph chuckled. “You two. Him running off. Yadda yadda.” Don shook his head. “Give the guy a break. You saw how much he’s done in the past day alone, and what he’s went through in the past week.” 

Raph laughed. “It’s not that. It’s just that you both went back to bed.” The purple-banded turtle smiled. “I don’t know. He was exhausted and I was there along with it. When did you wake up?” The red-banded turtle chuckled. “About an hour ago.” “Mikey still asleep?” Raph nodded. Don just chuckled. “I guess Connor’s probably going to talk to Father as soon as he wakes back up, huh?” “I guess he’s probably going to want to see him sooner rather than later.” Don nodded. “If any of us were in the same situation he is in right now, jeeze…” Raph shook his head. “We’d all be broken, but somehow he’s pulled through. It’s shocking to say the least. If a little crack like that happens occasionally, it’s fine. Could be way worse, to be honest. Fuck, you know how I am with my anger, I run to Case’s.” Don chuckled. “Better than you beating a hole in someone, I think.”

Raph chuckled, but then Connor stumbled out of their room, barely making it to the stairs. He spotted Don and started to speak. “Hey ba…” He tried to step down the stairs, but he accidentally stepped on the edge of a step and almost fell. “Oh shiii…” Don laughed. “You need help babe?” Connor regained his balance and shook his head. “Nope, I’m good.” The human finished stepping down the stairs, chuckling. “I’m not in the best state, I’m afraid. I almost busted my ass twice just now.” Raph shook his head. “I could tell.” Mikey busted out laughing from his bedroom door. “When your legs don’t work like they used to before… And I can’t sweep you off your feet…” Leo put his head into his hands after he heard Mikey say that, trying not to laugh. “Mikey, please…” Connor waved his hand in the air. “It’s fine, Leo… If an occasional Ed Sheeran reference is all I get, that’s more than I could ask for.” The blue-banded turtle just started laughing. “That one was too good, I’m sorry.” 

The human shook his head. “Besides making fun of me for almost busting my ass just now, what was everyone else up to?” Leo shook his head. “Nothing really. I did tell Father about what you did this morning, he might want to talk to you though. Sooner or later, preferably the former.” Connor nodded. “I can do that, no problem. I guess now is an okay time then.” Leo smiled as Connor left the living room, heading for Splinter’s shoji. He knocked on the door, saying “Knock knock…” Splinter replied with a little bit of a louder “Come in, my son.” The human slid the door opening, smiling when he saw the rat sitting across his tea table. Splinter smiled as he gestured toward the cushion on the opposite side. Connor sat down on the cushion, exhaling. “So, what’s up sensei?” The rat chuckled. “I was hoping you would tell me, son. Leonardo informed me of your little… outing this morning. I am not saying it was wrong or not allowed, I would just like to understand the reasoning behind sneaking out like that.” Connor sighed. “Do you want the bare minimum answer or the heart-poured-into-it answer?” 

The rat smiled. “I would prefer the latter, although if there are any specific details you would feel to leave out, that is fine by me. Please, take your time.” Connor paused for a moment, trying to form words in his head. “Okay… um… well… I woke up at quarter ‘til six this morning. I couldn’t sleep, and I could only dream of what it was like to be back home. I was incredibly homesick.” Splinter sighed and shook his head. “I am afraid that would happen sooner or later. You have had quite the journey in this past week or so.” Connor nodded. “Anyway, I got dressed and left a little note for Don when he woke up.” Splinter smiled. “Leonardo did show me the note. Do you know Mandarin, my son?” Connor smirked. “I know a little bit. I know basic phrases and things, but I’ve lost most of it, sadly. Anyway, earlier I walked out of the lair, going to the little convenience store on the corner here to get some breakfast for Don and me. I talked to the cashier, and I brought up something that happened back home. When I was walking out of the store, I just started sobbing, because even remembering something as trivial as a comment someone made kind of broke any sort of mental barrier I had.” Splinter smiled. “It’s alright, son. You don’t need to keep up any sort of ‘tough’ appearance anymore. I can tell that was probably some sort of coping mechanism, which is highly unhealthy for you.”

Connor sighed. “Yeah, it’s not great in the long run, I am afraid. Back home, it was a borderline necessity to keep some emotions at bay. But I put the food in my jacket, and I climbed up a ladder getting to the rooftop of the building I was on. After about ten minutes, I found a place where I could overlook Manhattan and Brooklyn and relax a bit. I started to eat and after a little while, Don called out looking for me, presumably tracking where I was. He sat down next to me and we just talked for about maybe forty minutes… He opened me up a bit. All I could think about is... fuck… not again…” 

Connor blotted his eyes with his sleeve as Sensei grasped the human’s free hand. “It’s alright, my son. You can cry in front of me if you need to.” Connor inhaled deeply, trying to regain composure. “I’m sorry… I just gravely miss my friends, my family, and my home most of all. When I was on the sidewalk earlier, I remembered when about three weeks ago I took my friend out to eat. It was very carefree, like nothing could happen to split our friendship apart. But, that something happened. It just felt like a full-body blow to me this morning. I finally broke, and I really didn’t want to. One thing about the relationship I am in with Don, he knows exactly what to do to calm me down when I’m truly down in a ditch. The last time I felt this depressed and helpless was like three years ago, when my family was truly broken. But they’re not broken anymore, they’re gone…” 

Splinter sat back and thought. “Son, I was in the same situation you are now when I fled Japan. Except moving across states, I moved from an entire country. That same homesickness plagued me for like a year. I may be a ninja master, but I am not completely stoic either. However, after that period of time I happened to find four turtles in the sewers, roughly where I lived away from the surface. I think you can figure out what happened from there. I didn’t have time to dwell on Japan, I had to care for these turtles like a father, not wallow in my own misery. I have a feeling you must do the same, just in a different way of course. You have different responsibilities in the past and future than I had in the past.” Connor started to ease a bit. “Thank you, sensei, for listening to me and for the advice. I still don’t think this healing process will be instant, though. The wounds are still open, I must admit.” 

Splinter shook his head. “If you need to go back up to that rooftop or go driving somewhere to clear your head, I must agree that is a good course of action. I just do not want to see you getting violent about anything.” Connor chuckled. “I think that won’t be a problem. I’m not Raph, even in the slightest.” Splinter chuckled. “And that you are not, my son. I do have to say your mental strength is remarkable. What do you think could be a reason for that?” Connor chuckled. “I have no clue. Maybe it’s due to the fact that I, well… was in high school. People insult and tease all the time, and you must have a certain attitude of ‘don’t care’ to make it out alive. I guess that helped a bit. Not going into hysterics over a bad grade or over some drama, per se.” 

The rat smiled. “I am glad you can at least understand that though. I just wanted to understand where you stood in terms of mentality. Are you still agreeing to training?” Connor nodded. “It will help me immensely. I saw Don climbing up those roofs earlier and I was shocked. Granted, I don’t think I’ll ever be at that point. I just want to be able to hold my own and possibly help out the brothers in a sticky situation if at all necessary.” Splinter smiled again. “That is all I intend to teach you, unless you do want to learn more of course. I still doubt you can become a ninja fighter, but being a sort of aid will be a great course of action. I have also been training Miss O’Neil in basic combat techniques too, for obvious reasons I think you can assume.” Connor nodded. April was fine by herself, but she could be easily overcome if she was attacked. Splinter continued. “My sons use weapons in battle. Have you had any thought of what kind of weapon you would possibly use?” Connor nodded. “Don had an idea of what might be the perfect weapon for me. I have no idea what it could be though.” The rat chuckled. “Well, I might have to talk to him to get an idea of what that might be. You do understand, correct?” Connor chuckled. “Ninja master and all. You probably already know my fighting style before I even get into any sort of fight.” Splinter smiled. “Maybe I do, maybe I don’t. That is all I had to say, however. If you would, please get Donatello to talk to me after you leave.” 

Connor chuckled in relief. “Alright, Sensei. Thank you once again, I mean it. You’re helping me out through this misadventure, and I appreciate it.” Splinter smiled. “It is no problem, my son. You have helped our family and friends in more ways than you could imagine. Not just Miss O’Neil or Mister Jones, but also us as a family. You are a portal into the human world for the brothers, you can explain how things really work in society and life, not just from the view they have from down here. That itself is a priceless skill, my son. I could try to explain how society worked back in Japan, but even that is highly different to modern America.” Connor chuckled. “Oh, I know. Anyway, I’m going to get out of here while I still have a chance. I’ll get Don for you, sensei.” The rat bowed as Connor stood up, slowly walking out of the room. He walked down the hallway, seeing the purple-banded turtle on the couch next to Raph. 

Connor chuckled as he sat down next to Don. “He wants to talk to you, babe. You’re not in trouble or anything, I already asked.” Don smiled. “Alright, alright. If you promise I’m not in trouble.” The human shook his head. “Would I really lie to you over something like that?” Don smirked. “No, you wouldn’t. I know that much. I’ll be right back, babe.” Connor smiled. “I’ll be waiting.” As Don walked to Splinter’s shoji, Raph grinned. “Ya two really do love each other… It’s still crazy ta me.” Connor laughed. “Yeah, it’s weird for me too. I’m in love with a mutant turtle that happens to understand me down to a base level and loves me back at the same time. It’s not what I expected to happen in the slightest. I thought I was probably going to be single until I was twenty-five, crying myself to sleep after jerking off every night. But nope, that didn’t happen. I’m glad that hasn’t happened, to be honest.” 

Raph chuckled. “I’m glad too. Ya seem like ya’re actually happy with him, ya know?” Connor nodded. “I do definitely feel better with him around than without, that’s for sure. Anyway, what were you up to?” Raph shook his head. “Nothin’ really. Why?” The human shook his head. “Just wondering.” Leo opened the doors to the dojo, wiping sweat off his brow. He then sat down on one of the chairs in the living room, starting a new conversation. “Connor, did you talk to him?” The human nodded. “All is well now, he just wanted to know what was going through my head was all.” Leo smiled. “I guess that makes sense. You alright?” Connor sighed a bit. “I am now. Just kind of brought back some of those thoughts for a second there. God damn, I was completely fucked this morning, let me tell you. Thanks to a certain genius turtle, I’m at least 60% of the way back to normality this morning. I might relapse a bit here and there if something brings up an old event or person, but I expect that to happen anyway.” Leo grinned. “As far as you’ve been in the past week, I can agree with that. If you don’t lose complete control at random, I think we can handle it together.” Raph nodded as Leo continued. “You are good right now, right?”

Connor nodded. “I’m good. Now, I’m just thinking about those tables I need to start working on. I need to measure that room up and get the right height and stuff before I go to the hardware store and pick up all the wood and stuff I need.” Raph chuckled. “Of course you gotta think about that. What are the tables for anyway? You never elaborated on that.” Connor chuckled. “I haven’t, have I? Well, basically April is giving me a job fixing electronics to sell in her shop. It’s something for me to do, and I get to make some money doing it. Pretty much a win-win. If I get tired of working on something, I have a variety of things around here to fiddle with anyway.” Leo chuckled. “I guess having something for you to do will take your mind off the past in a way. Did April say what kind of money you would be getting?” Connor nodded. “Split the profit more or less. I don’t really have any standards for this sort of thing, to be honest. As long as I’m getting some sort of compensation for my time and expertise all is well.” 

Leo nodded. “Makes sense. I don’t expect you to work for free, either. Also, I had a question about your whole romantic-night-out-with-Don thing.” Connor chuckled. “Alright, what is it?” Leo groaned. “I just wanted to ask if you needed to pay your friend to borrow his apartment for that night.” Connor nodded. “It’s not all that much, much less than a hotel room around here would be, that’s for sure. He asked for seventy-five bucks, which I gladly will pay. The experience will be worth way more than that. Plus, if I ever do something like this again, I doubt he’ll need me to pay him again.” Leo winced a bit. “That is a lot of money.” The human shook his head. “Anything else in this city would be way more than that. Plus, it’s not like I’m broke or anything. You guys already know of the last two major expenditures I have made, the surprise and those cameras… Let’s say money isn’t an issue for me. I’ve been saving it up for the past couple of years with my old job, so I’m not hurting. I just want to start balancing it back out.” 

Raph chuckled. “Man, I’m excited for how he’s gonna react to the Shell version two. It’s going to be great. I did have a question, though. How are we going to tune it? We don’t have a dyno or anything.” Connor chuckled. “I’ll do it. I know how to tune ECUs already, just need to get out of the mindset I have with turbocharged four-cylinders. The transmission tuning will be easy too, just input some parameters like how much you want the torque converter to lock up and what kind of engagement you want between gears, shift points, etcetera. It’ll be easy. I’ll get it done once we get home.” Raph nodded. “I can assume you do know what you are doing with all of this. Do you have experience with this sort of thing?” Connor shook his head. “I haven’t actually tuned anything before, but I know how to. Also the EFI system I bought is simplified, mostly doing a self-learn procedure to get everything squared away. So, all of this will mostly be plug-and-play, just a tweak here and there to get it to the right air-fuel ratios and stuff.” The red-banded turtle nodded. “Sounds like a plan, Connor. You do have this all planned out, right?” Connor chuckled. “Mikey asked me that last night, remember. It’s all going together well.” 

As soon as Connor said that though, Don walked into the living room with Splinter. “Babe, come here.” The human looked over and saw the two standing by the door of the dojo. Connor stood up and chuckled. “What now, is this an intervention? Oh, I’m sorry I’ve been addicted to meth for fifteen years everyone. Sorry about that, I’ll totally change my ways now.” Don laughed and shook his head. “No, not anything like that. Got to show you something.” The human chuckled. “Alright, after you.” Don smiled as he walked into the dojo, seeing Splinter holding two wooden weapons in his hands. Connor walked in and looked confused. “What are those, and why does Splinter look like he’s pleased?” The rat chuckled. “Because Donatello’s choice of weapon for you is, as he said, perfect. Do you know what these are, son?” Connor shook his head. “No clue. Looks like two rolling pins with handles.” Don chuckled. “One more guess.” Connor shrugged. “You tell me. I’ve never seen anything like them before.” Splinter smiled. “These are tonfa. They are a self-defense weapon from Okinawa. Here, take them. I think you will understand after you hold them.” Connor gently took the weapons from the rat’s grip, twirling them around in his hands a couple of times. 

Splinter and Don looked at each other with a nod. Connor looked at the wooden weapons. “I like these. Tonfa, right?” Don nodded. “Hold them with the end against your arms.” Connor flipped the tonfa around and did so. “So, I’m guessing this is to block a hit?” The turtle smiled. “I think you already got it. Now, flip them around, with the end facing out.” The human did so, turning the two wooden weapons around. “And this is to attack someone?” Splinter nodded. “That is one method of doing so. You can also grab the end and use the handles to hook onto something, much like Raphael would with his sai.” Connor nodded. “You weren’t lying about these things being pretty much ideal. Although, there’s nothing on them for me to go ‘oh my god I love these things they’re perfect’, if you know what I mean.” Don chuckled. “Don’t worry about that, I’ve already sorted that all out. Call it a surprise.” Connor grinned. “I guess we both have a surprise for each other, huh? Alright, whatever it is, I’m going with it. I trust you, babe.” Splinter grinned at the plans. 

While he and Don were talking earlier, the turtle brought up a good idea. “So, I had an idea. It may sound a little off the beaten path.” Splinter smiled. “Please, do tell.” “Maybe I can get a pair of tonfa custom-made for him. I’m thinking maybe out of some forged aluminum with a coating of Kevlar, make it like the military uses for various armors.” The rat chuckled. “That is a little out there, but it would make sense considering his fighting style I had in mind.” Don chuckled before continuing. “And… a blade comes out of the end of each one. Make it like a naginata, in a way. So, maybe when he is attacking someone, he can use one arm to deflect a hit while he flips the other around and stabs them in a probably-not-so-nice spot.” Splinter laughed. “That is incredibly well-thought out. And I shall agree to that. That sounds like the perfect weapon for him. One question though, how will you afford this? I know many custom weapon crafters, but they don’t have the reputation for being thrifty, if you will.” 

Don smiled. “I have a way of getting money together under the table, don’t worry about that. Just get in touch with someone, I’ll supply them with blueprints and anything else they may need. How long do you think it’ll take to make something like that?” The rat paused to think. “To be honest, anywhere from a week to two months, depending on how long it takes to get right. We do not want an unbalanced weight or a mishap in the forging process.” Don nodded. “Sounds fair. I guess it will just be a waiting game. Do you need my help contacting any of these manufacturers?” Splinter shook his head. “Each one requires a different approach, like eating at a certain restaurant at a certain time, or leaving a certain note somewhere, much like other people we get involved with. Also, I do not want Connor to even worry about the monetary part of this at all. You do understand, correct?” Don nodded. “I understand. I will start drafting those plans up, calculating for the hardness of the material and such. These will not be your average pair of tonfa, I will give you that much.” 

The rat smiled at the suggestion. “I am glad, he will love these custom versions. Do beware, I presume he will catch onto our plans rather quickly, so please do be quick with those plans. I would prefer by Monday if you can.” Don chuckled. “I’ll get them done. He has to go and run for some lumber today, I can get them drafted and 3D modeled before he is back and in your hand. Do you think your weapons manufacturers can use a 3D model, anyway?” Splinter nodded. “They’re not in the seventeenth century anymore, I can give you that. I think they will accept that on some sort of device, which I assume you can furnish.” The turtle nodded. “I can get that together. Anything else?” The rat shook his head. “That is all I need from you, let’s show him what tonfa are. I presume he will like them.” Don nodded. “Me too. They’re like perfect for his use case.” The two then stood up, heading into the living room. This was going to be a great surprise for the human.

Back at the present time, the rat was grinning. “I am glad that this choice of weapon is ideal for you, my son. I also shall not spoil any surprises, but let’s say we have come up with the ‘perfect’ version of these for you. But for now, I would like you to train with these tonfa for now, get used to how they work, get into the rhythm of the weapons. Remember, you don’t use the weapon, you get in tune with it in a way. Each of my sons chose their weapons based on a variety of different factors.” Connor chuckled. “Kind of like a cat in a way. You don’t adopt it, it adopts you.” Splinter chuckled. “You could put it that way, yes. Have you had a cat before?” Connor shook his head. “Nope, but my mom’s cat wandered into her place one day and just said ‘you know what, this is good.’” Don laughed. “That sounds about right. Anyway, there’s that. You up for training with them right now?” Connor shook his head. “I need to wrap my head around even carrying a weapon on me, let alone actually using it. The most I’ve ever carried on me is like a pocketknife, so there’s that.” Splinter nodded. “I understand, son. This is probably the first time you’ve ever handled a weapon, correct?” Connor shook his head. 

“I don’t know if Don told you, but I have experience with firearms. Maybe I could nab some type of handgun off a bad guy and train everyone else with them.” Splinter paused and thought. “I have no formal experience with firearms, so I do not honestly know what they are like to use. If you do ever come across one, I have no qualms if you happen to pick one up in a fight.” Connor nodded. “That sounds like a plan, if that does happen of course. Also yes, I know any sort of gun is illegal in New York, but it’s not like I actually care.” Don laughed. “If we were abiding by all laws all the time we wouldn’t be able to fight half of these guys. So don’t worry about it.” Splinter nodded. “None of us are legal citizens of the United States, anyway. So I am agreeing with Donatello right now, breaking legalities is completely in the clear with me.” Connor laughed. “Alright, time to start slinging crack?” Don chuckled. “Nope, sadly not. Although that could be a good way to make some quick cash.” “Dawww, come on. Oh, I need to measure up that room and get that wood before the place closes. Where should I put these?” 

Don thought for a second. “Set them over there by that chest. I’ll get them later.” Connor nodded as he set the tonfa down on the floor. Splinter smiled as he left the dojo, pleased that went so well. The turtle just looked at his lover. Connor stood up and smiled as Don walked toward him, holding his arms out. The human chuckled as he went into the turtle’s grasp. Don hugged Connor, grinning. “I guess my little hunch was right.” The human smiled as he looked up at his lover’s eyes. “You were right. I never knew a couple of wooden sticks could work so well.” Don chuckled. “Me either. Anyway, are you going to that hardware store soon?” “Yep, I still do have to measure up that room to see what lengths of wood I need. I plan on maybe doing a wraparound work surface.” Don smiled. “You really are going overkill, huh. I was just expecting one like six-foot long table.” Connor shook his head. “If it’s my workshop, I want it exactly how I work best. And I always run into making the space emptier and emptier as I work, so that’ll help. Some sort of organization, etcetera.” 

The turtle smiled. “I understand, but it’s still kind of overkill.” Connor smiled. “I know it is, but like I said. I prefer being overkill versus being underkill. Having to fix the bench in three weeks because it wasn’t enough won’t work. Do it right or don’t do it at all.” Don chuckled. “Alright, alright. Fine. Let’s get out of here, that might help.” The human nodded as he let go of the turtle, chuckling as they walked out of the dojo. Don branched off to the living room as Connor hopped up the stairs, going up two each step. He went into his new workshop and grabbed the tape measure, first measuring the walls and their lengths. “Hmm, eight by ten. That’ll be relatively easy to do.” He then went into the hallway calling out to Don. “Hey babe, can I borrow your chair real quick?” Don put his thumb into the air, and Connor chuckled. He went into the lab, rolling Don’s computer chair out and into the empty room. He took a pencil and sat down, marking on the wall where his arms laid where they would be on a table. 

He then got off the chair, and measured the height of the floor to the mark. “26.5 inches… Alright.” Rolling the chair back to the lab, he started to chuckle. “This’ll be easier than I expected it to be, just a couple of straight sections and a split in the middle. Shouldn’t be too hard to cut and build…” he thought. He looked around for a piece of graph paper he could use to lay out the table. He noticed a small stack of it on another separate table, so he took a sheet and borrowed a pencil. He then took the sheet and pencil and headed down to the living room. Don looked over and smiled at the human, glad that he decided to come down. “Hey babe, what are you doing?” Connor smiled. “Laying it all out in the theoretical room before I go and do anything. Measure twice, cut once.” The turtle nodded. “I know, but you’re going measure five times, doubt yourself twice, then cut once.” Connor sighed a bit. “I know. I just want to make sure.” He then sat the paper down at the coffee table and started counting squares, intending to make the diagram to scale.

Don just looked over as Connor drew a series of lines to signify the walls, closing them off in a rectangular shape. The human then drew a series of three more lines, signifying the desk coming three feet from the wall on the longer edge, and going seven feet width-wise. Another rectangle was drawn for the second table surface, and then Connor chuckled. “There we go. All drawn out.” The purple-banded turtle looked over and chuckled. “Can I see, babe?” The human then handed the paper to Don. “Here, take a look.” Don looked at the paper and smiled. “You weren’t kidding about these being large work surfaces. How will you get them into the room?” Connor chuckled. “That’s the hard part. I guess I’ll just angle it in there sideways through the door.” 

The turtle laughed a bit. “Okay, okay. Are you about to go?” Connor nodded. “Where are the keys for the Battle Shell?” Don smiled. “They’re up in my lab on the desk. Thanks for asking.” Connor nodded. “I always ask if I need to borrow something. It’s just smart to do.” The turtle smirked. “That’s a nice courtesy. But yeah, keys are up in my lab.” Connor chuckled as he stood up, kissing the back of Don’s head as he walked behind the couch, going up the stairs. The turtle snapped his head back and blushed a bit at the human walking into their room. Connor grabbed his essentials and then walked out of the room, getting into the elevator. When the doors opened, he walked to the black van, opening the driver’s door and climbing into the heavy-duty cab. 

Connor looked around the cabin a bit before he closed the door. It looked just like a normal Chevy truck of the era, just with a few more screens and readouts dotted around. Too bad the actual readouts Connor liked to see weren’t even there. He slotted the square GM-style key into the ignition and started the Shell. The big-block V8 rumbled to life, idling smoothly, but not as lopey as the human liked. “That’s going to be fixed soon,” Connor thought as he pulled out his phone and turned on Bluetooth. It connected to the stereo in the van quickly, and he turned on his grime playlist. The song that came on first was “Luke Cage” by AJ Tracey. Connor chuckled as he started to recite the lyrics. “Bullet holes in my top right now… I’ma keep going but I know they want me to stop right now, but I got family to feed, so I’m just trying to get a guap right now…” When the bassline kicked in though, his face scrunched a bit. “I need to upgrade this system for him. It’s not that good…” Connor then laughed. Classic rock didn’t have the basslines rap music did, so the human doubted Don even noticed. The turtle wasn’t the biggest audiophile either, so that probably didn’t help.

The human then slotted the van into gear, driving slowly out of the garage. He turned left onto 52nd Street, stopping at the light for 1st Avenue. He turned left when the light turned green, careful to watch the corners of the van. This was a big vehicle, so he was careful with it. Getting into the leftmost lane, he stopped at the light for 53rd. 53rd would take him all the way across Manhattan, so it was an easy decision. Connor noticed the transmission was holding gears way too long for this kind of city crawl, so that would need to be tuned out in some way. It also would be affecting fuel economy, which isn’t the best idea for such a big vehicle with such a big engine. After long though and through squeezing through some tight spots, Connor was about to turn left onto 1st Avenue. The light had just turned red, so it was going to be a little bit before he could turn. 

The light turned green, and Connor piloted the black van around the intersection. He got into the left lane and continued down 11th until he got to the hardware store. He pulled in and parked, getting out and walking into the lumber supply section. The worker looked up and smiled. “Can I help ya?” Connor nodded. “I need quite a bit of lumber, I hope you can help me with that.” The worker smiled. “What do ya need?” Connor pulled the piece of paper out of his pocket with the plans for the tables. “I’ll a couple of sheets of plywood, cut down to size of course. And then some two-by-fours and four-by-fours.” The man nodded. “I can do that for ya. Anything else?” Connor shook his head. “I think I can get the rest of what I need from across the street over there, like some stain and wood glue and screws.” 

The worker grinned. “You got that much right. So, the plywood. We have regular and pressure-treated.” Connor chuckled. “I’ll get the regular type. This isn’t going outdoors, so it’s not gonna rot or anything.” The worker nodded. “So, what do you need for sizes?” Connor smiled. “I need one sheet cut down to a three-by-six foot, and one to a three-by-seven.” The worker nodded. “What thickness do ya want? We have anything from fifteen-thirtyseconds to a full inch.” “Let me get three-quarter.” The worker chuckled as he took two sheets of plywood off a shelf and set one on the upright saw. He cut two cuts in the first sheet, and did so for the second one about a minute later. He then turned around, looking at the teenager who was leaning against a shelf. “Is that all for these?” Connor nodded. “How about I load these up into the back of my van and you can help me get the rest of the stuff I need.” The worker nodded. “You parked outside here?” “Yep, I’ll go open it up.” 

Connor walked out of the little workshop, opening the back doors of the Battle Shell. He then hopped in, folding the rear seats down. The man followed him out with the wood soon after, holding it. The teenager hopped out of the van and helped guide the plywood into the cargo area. “This thing is cool, is it yours?” asked the worker. Connor shook his head. “Nope, I’m just borrowing it to pick this stuff up. I drive a little Escort, and I doubt that thing would be able to hold all of this stuff.” The worker chuckled. “I doubt that too. I had one of those things years ago. It got good gas mileage, but it’s so damn slow.” Connor chuckled. “Yeah, that’s pretty much my look at it. I do plan on swapping the motor out for something a little more fun though.” The man chuckled. “I planned on doing that too, but I crashed the thing into a tree. That kind of ended all plans I had with the thing… So, what else did you need?” Connor hopped out of the back, closing the doors. “I need some two-by-fours and four-by-fours. You got those, right?” The man laughed. “You’re asking if I got ‘em. You gotta be kidding me, I have racks and racks of ‘em.” The teenager laughed. “I bet you do. What lengths do you have?” “Anything from four feet to sixteen.” 

The teenager paused to think. “Let me get five eight-foot two-by-fours and three six-foot four-by-fours.” The worker nodded. “That it? Might as well buy the whole place while you’re in here.” Connor laughed and shook his head. “Nope, not today. Maybe once I do another run or two.” The man went in and grabbed the planks of lumber, ringing each out with his handheld device. He then grabbed the planks of wood, gesturing for Connor to open the doors. The teenager swung the doors open, allowing the man to set the planks lengthwise in the van. He then pressed a couple of buttons on his device, allowing it to print a receipt. “Go across the street and show the cashier this when you go to pay.” Connor smiled and nodded. “Thanks man. What’s your name, by the way?” “George. You?” “Connor. Nice to meet you.” George nodded in reply. “You need anything else from me on this side?” Connor shook his head. “If I need anything else, I know where to come. Thank you for the help, George.” “No problem. Just don’t forget to pay, ya know?” The teenager chuckled. “I think I got it.” 

Connor then took the receipt, jaywalking across the street. It was empty for this moment, so he dashed across the four lanes of traffic, ending up on the other side of the hardware store. It was unusual for stores to be split up this way back home, but in Manhattan, business owners do what they need to for more space. Shaking his head, Connor walked into the other half of the hardware store, he went to the back area with all the woodworking supplies. He grabbed a box of screws at the right length for the legs and a bottle of wood glue. He came across the varnishes and looked around. “Water-based or oil-based polyurethane?”, he asked himself as he pulled open his phone and looked that up. Google pointed him to oil-based, since it was the most resilient of the two and cheaper, but it took a long time to fully dry once laid down. He accepted the tradeoff, so he grabbed two cans of the oil-based varnish and a brush to go with it, adding to the screws and glue. He brought all of that to the front of the store, setting it down in front of the cashier. The woman smiled. “Did you find all you needed today?” Connor smiled. “Yes, I did, matter of fact. Oh, I have this too.” He handed her the receipt, and she scanned it. “Alright, your total is going to be one hundred and sixty-two dollars even.” The teenager then smiled as he handed her his debit card.

“It’s a lot cheaper than Ikea would ever be, huh?” The woman nodded. “Yeah, building this stuff yourself is a lot cheaper than buying it, that’s for sure. What are you making, if I may ask?” Connor chuckled. “A desk for my office. I want it to wrap around the room instead of buying one that will be all boring and out of a box.” The woman smiled. “That is true. Anyway, thank you for shopping with us today.” Connor nodded. “Thank you for having all of this stuff in Manhattan, of all places. Saved my life a little bit.” The cashier was heard laughing as Connor left the store, walking down the sidewalk with his two bags of supplies. He decided to be smart this time and use the crosswalk instead of darting across traffic like it was a game of Frogger. A couple of minutes passed while Connor crossed the street, finally getting to the Battle Shell. He turned the key in the door and unlocked it, getting in and putting his other supplies on the passenger’s seat. 

After twenty-five minutes on 52nd Street, Connor turned left into the garage and slowly went down the ramp. He then turned the van around, getting the back end near the workbenches. Turning the ignition off, Connor chuckled. He didn’t expect that trip to go that well, to be honest. Things tended to blow up in his face all the time, so having a peaceful trip was just icing on the cake. Also, driving around with some music on just had the effect of clearing one’s head. The teenager got out of the van, opening the rear doors. George got most of the wood in himself, but now looking at the eight-foot planks of lumber and plywood was kind of daunting. 

As Connor grabbed the first sheet of plywood off the top, the elevator dinged. A certain red-banded turtle walked out of it, looking at the human haphazardly holding a sheet of plywood. Raph chuckled at the sight. “Ya got it?” Connor nodded. “I’m good. I don’t know if you really want to watch me build tables here, though?” Raph shook his head. “I gotta couple things I gotta do in here, but I’ll probably watch ya off and on.” Connor nodded. “Alright, well I am going to get to work. Do you have any sawhorses or anything?” Raph paused to think. “Not up here, I think Don’s got some in storage somewhere. We don’t do any major woodworking, if you can tell.” The human chuckled. “Yeah, that’s pretty safe to assume. Do you have a circular saw, though?” Raph nodded. “Up in one of the top cabinets. A DeWalt one, if that’s alright with you.” Connor laughed. “I can’t give a shit about tool brands, really. If it works, it works. Unless you get some Snap-On… wait Strap-On tools. They’re awesome, but you bend over backwards to get them.” 

Raph laughed at the nickname. “Yeah they do fuck ya from behind for those tools. Hence we don’t own any of em.” Connor chuckled. “I don’t care, like I said. If your tools work, I couldn’t be any happier. Anyway, I’m going to get those sawhorses.” Raph nodded. “Alright, don’t be fuckin’ Don down there. Remember ya got shit to do.” The human just laughed as he walked into the elevator, grinning as he closed the door. He did have ‘shit to do’ as Raph put it, but that didn’t mean it would have to be boring. The doors to the lair opened, and Connor walked to the lab. Problem was that the turtle put up the “Do Not Disturb” signs again. The human sighed as he slowly opened the door, calling out. “Hey babe, do you have a minute?” Don nodded as he quickly minimized the 3D modeling program he had open. “You need my help with anything?” Connor walked to the turtle and smiled. “What did I say about that damn sign? And yeah, I need some sawhorses. Raph said you had them around here somewhere.” Don chuckled. “I’m sorry about the signs. Just now I was working on something a little fragile.” In actuality, he was modeling Connor’s custom tonfa and didn’t want the human to come in, but there was enough warning in all of it.

The human smiled as he hugged Don. “I love you, babe.” Don grinned. “I love you too. Now, let go so I can get those things. How many do you need?” “Two, preferably three.” The turtle nodded as he went into his storage closet. He started to mumble as he went into the small room, with Connor following. “Aagh!” was all he could muster out as he tripped over a cord. Connor inhaled. “You alright, babe?” Don laughed. “I’m fine. Just surprised me is all.” The human chuckled as he saw Don pointing to the sawhorses. “There you go.” Connor hugged the turtle again, chuckling as he did so. “You’re a lifesaver, you know that?” Don smiled. “Well, I do now. You need any help with the wood?” The human shook his head. “I got it. I just needed these so I’m not working on the floor.” Don smiled as he picked Connor up a bit, giving him a kiss. “I was just wondering when you were going to be back.” The human blushed a bit. “I’ve only been back for like ten minutes. Should I have called home to say, ‘I’m on my way back home from the mall, Mom, it’ll only be twenty minutes?’” 

Don laughed in response. “No babe, I’m not a helicopter boyfriend, I promise.” Connor then put on his sassy woman voice. “Mmmmhm sure.” The turtle laughed again at the tone his lover put on. “I promise!” Connor then went “Mmmmhm…” as he grabbed three of the stands. Don just grinned as he kissed his lover. “I love you, babe.” Connor snapped out of the fake attitude and grinned. “I love you too. Now, let me get this done so I have some more time for you, how does that sound?” The turtle just stood in awe as his lover left the lab, going into the elevator with the metal stands. He then went back to his computer, sighing in relief that Connor didn’t see the software open. Switching into the software, he smoothed out some edges on the model before saving it onto a flash drive. Getting up and pulling the drive out of the computer, he put it into his belt before walking out of his lab and down the stairs. “These are going to be great,” he thought as he knocked on the door to Splinter’s shoji.

Splinter told Don to come in and so he did. The rat smiled as he saw Don, gesturing for the turtle to sit down. “So, are you done with the planning, my son?” The turtle nodded. “Here you go, this is a flash drive with the blueprints and a 3D model on it. All they will have to do is plug it into a computer, and it will automatically bring up all of the plans.” Splinter smiled. “Thank you, my son. This will help me immensely.” Don smiled. “I know it will. Do you have a manufacturer in mind?” The rat nodded. “I do. He is a man I have known for many years. He is very secretive of course, but he is one of the best weapons manufacturers I know. He isn’t horribly expensive as well, which is a nice side effect, I would assume.” The turtle nodded. “I’m going to be paying for this, so any little bit counts. Anyway, thank you, Father. Just hand him this flash drive, and he will have the exact dimensions and weights and specifications of what I had in mind.” Don stood up and the rat bowed. Before the turtle turned around, Splinter asked a question.

“Is it true that your lover is building a desk right now?” Don chuckled. “He is. I kept telling him his ideas were a bit overkill, but they will probably last thirty years without any damage.” Splinter smiled. “He does understand the true value of work, that is for sure. There is a Japanese proverb for his mindset, something to the effect of ‘the nail that sticks out gets hammered’ in English.” Don paused and then laughed. “That’s about right. He doesn’t leave any detail untouched, even if that means pouring too much time into it. I’m going up to check on him, so don’t worry about that.” The rat smiled. “I would appreciate if you do. Maybe some company could help.” Don chuckled and shook his head as he left the shoji, heading up the stairs and into the elevator. 

Splinter and Don both knew that Connor didn’t need any help, but since the teenager was still a little susceptible from this morning, it was a good idea to sit down and talk anyway. Sometimes Splinter didn’t make sense, but for now, he made every bit of sense. He seemed old in some ways, but in others, he was as young as he could ever be, that ninja master of a rat.


	12. Adoption

RECOMMENDED LISTENING:  
Money for Nothing - Dire Straits, Sting  
Although Connor’s endeavors in a job with April don’t seem all that promising yet, things in the song seem to get better over time. Even if chicks are free… or certain genius turtles, as it were. He doesn’t move color TVs, he builds desks.

Pussycat - Soulero  
Call this a hint.

* * *

* * *

Saturday, February 3, 2018, 12:38 PM

* * *

Don pushed the button to open the elevator. The doors slid open, and he chuckled. This day so far had been a bit of a roller coaster. His lover had carried him to bed, then woke up and headed onto a rooftop while homesick. Then, Don talked to Connor for a little bit, the two went back to bed, and now, apparently, he had drafted up a custom pair of tonfa while his lover was up in the garage building a desk. It was weird for both of them, but it was something to embrace. Pushing the button to go up to the garage, Don grinned. All that he could think about today was the human a few stories above him. Even if Connor was mentally broken, he still thought about the turtle that still laid asleep that morning, in both English and Chinese. Don just smiled at the thought. “He really loves me,” he said to himself as the doors to the garage opened. 

Connor heard the elevator ding, but he didn’t look up because he didn’t want to mess up cutting this two-by-four. Once the circular saw blade was all the way through the plank of wood, he looked up. There was a certain purple-banded turtle standing there. “Oh, hey babe. I’m sorry, I didn’t want to mess up this cut.” Don chuckled and shook his head. “It’s alright. I was just wondering how far you were along.” The human looked over. “Well, I have most of my two-by-fours cut for the framing, I just need to get the braces cut for each side of the table and then glue it all together for the first few steps.” The turtle looked over and paused. “How are you bracing these?” “With an interlocking X-shaped thing on the bottom. Any load on top will be more evenly spread through the middle and any shock will go straight to the frame, versus bending the top.” 

Don chuckled. “You really did think of everything, huh… Mind if I sit here and watch?” Connor shook his head. “Nope, feel free. This is the part where you can sit, of course. Once I start varnishing this stuff, you really wouldn’t want to stick around.” Don chuckled. “That’s alright, it’s just that I have really nothing to do right now. First time in a long time, it feels nice… So, I thought I’d spend this little dry period with you.” The human looked over and smiled. “I’m glad you did. I may just be gluing pieces of wood together, but it’s better with you here, babe.” Raph just groaned. “Should I just fuckin’ leave already? Or are ya guys gonna stop?” Connor laughed. “There’s no guarantee for anything, as-is where-is, no exceptions.” Don laughed at that. “Sounds shady enough to me…” Raph just chuckled and walked into the elevator, closing the doors. The purple-banded turtle just smiled. “And that is how you drive off Raph, huh?” “I guess so. It worked, didn’t it?” “Yeah, it did. Now, we’re alone. Was that planned?” “Maybe it was. Let me finish this up real quick.” 

Connor then finished gluing the pieces of wood to the table tops, making sure to evenly load the weight on the pieces. Once the main frames were in place, the human chuckled and pulled away from the workbenches, looking at his lover with gray eyes. “Well, that’s done, what did you want from me again, babe?” Don churred at the sight. “God, those eyes. They turn me on like a light.” The human growled deep in his chest. “Well, if that is true, why don’t you show me?” Don stood up and looked at Connor, almost starting to drool. He walked forward, grasping the human. He started to brutally kiss Connor, smashing his lips against the human’s. Connor snorted a bit as Don kept at it, simply enjoying the attention. His lover pulled away after a little bit, grinning. “I fucking love you, Connor. I don’t know how I lived without you.” The human smiled. “Me too, Don… What were you planning on doing, anyway? I know you want to ravage me right now, but I still do want to know.” Don looked up and down his lover, smiling. “I want to suck you off. Can you teach me how to do that?” Connor chuckled. “Of course I can teach you babe… It looks like you’re pretty much ready, huh?” The turtle nodded as the human smiled. “Alright, alright, let me sit down somewhere.” 

Don looked confused. “We can’t do it with you standing up?” Connor paused. “You know what, I guess if you want to go all pornstar with it we can… That’s a fetish of yours, isn’t it?” The turtle simply turned into a color of red-green. “Uh… yeah it is…That alright?” Connor chuckled. “I can make it better.” He pulled out his phone, flicking on the camera. “It’s recording. How about that?” Don stared into the camera and licked his lips, pulling Connor’s sweatpants down and kneeling. The human growled in his chest. “Yeah, suck me off bitch. Be the good cocksucker you always dream about.” The turtle grew red again as he pulled Connor’s underwear down and saw his hard cock bounce up. “Uh... babe… what do I do?” “Okay, it’s pretty simple. Roll your lips over your teeth, that makes them mostly smoothed out. Then, angle it up to where it’s hitting the back of your palate, near your throat. Please be careful of the damn teeth, they hurt.” Don smiled. “Let’s see, huh?” He slowly worked Connor’s cock into his mouth, as the human moaned. 

Connor was still careful of Don, he wanted to make sure his lover still was careful. Don might have loved it, but those teeth were still a little too close to the human’s member for him to not care. The camera was still in focus on the turtle, who started to bob back and forth. Connor moaned again, adding another small tidbit. “The tongue can help like crazy. Swirl it around the head, flick down the bottom.” The turtle took the advice quickly, trying the moves the human used on him before. He also started to churr, which surprised Connor. “I guess you really like being a cocksucker huh, churring just from sucking dick. How pathetic. Drop down like the little bitch you are.” Don did so, dropping his penis out of his slit. He also continued to churr, especially a little more loudly from those comments. Connor smiled. “I love you, babe. Also, you’re pretty fucking good at this for having no experience with it.” Don grunted a bit in response, still going back and forth. Connor grinned. “If you keep going at this rate, I’m going to bust… Just telling you now.” Don took that as a challenge, getting even further into it.

The human cried out loud a bit before breathing. “Shit, babe. I’m about to fuckin’ blow. Aaaagh… shit. Fuck yes!” Connor’s body started to shudder a bit as he climaxed into Don’s mouth. The turtle still winced a bit at the taste, but less than last time as he knew what he was in for. He pulled off, and Connor stopped the recording on the phone. “So, what did you think?” Don grinned. “I loved it. Also that humiliation there kicked me into overdrive. You really know how to turn me on, and I love it.” His lover smiled as he pulled his pants back up. “I can tell, you started churring like a motherfucker. Also, I didn’t feel even the slight glance of a tooth in there, you’re actually really good.” Don smiled. “I’m glad. I had to keep that in my head as I kept going.” “I did that too the first time I sucked you off, it’s alright. So, do you want me to reciprocate?” Don stood up and smiled. “That would be great. I don’t think I want to try it standing up like that, I’ll probably fall over when I climax.” 

Connor paused. “You can get in the Escort and recline the seat, I can be in the footwell. I think it’ll be alright.” Don looked confused. “Really?” “Yeah. I promise it’ll be okay. It’ll also be pretty comfortable, I would think.” The turtle chuckled. “Alright, I can try it. You’ll be okay being squished in there?” Connor nodded. “I’m small, remember. Get in there, I’ll figure it out.” Don walked over to the faded red econobox, getting into the passenger’s side. Connor hopped in the driver’s side, climbing over the console and straddling Don’s lap, much like how he did when they were at the junkyard. Don smiled. “This is like that night, huh?” The human grinned. “That actually was the point. I wanted to see what it would have been like if we kept going.” Don smiled. “Well, that sounds like a great idea.” Connor just attacked Don with a kiss, his eyes turning gray again. Don churred a bit as his lover tasted his tongue, the irony of it that Connor was just tasting himself. The human pulled away, smiling. 

“This was definitely better than that first time, I think…” Connor then lifted the recline lever for the seat, and Don dropped down suddenly. The turtle laughed in surprise. “I wasn’t expecting that…” Connor laughed. “How about this?” He then laid on top of the turtle, continuing their kiss. Don wrapped his arms around his lover, squeezing in different spots. Connor moaned a bit as he broke away, grinning. “You know what’s next, babe.” Don churred in response. Connor licked down the turtle’s neck, gliding down his plastron. Don shivered a bit, his cock getting impossibly hard in response to the sensations. “Ah fuck, babe. Please…” was all he could mutter out before his lover licked up his member. Connor smiled a bit before he continued. Seeing Don laid out like that in pleasure was one of the best feelings he had felt. He wrapped his mouth around his lover’s member, slowly working it in. 

Don could only think about his lover, who was currently in front of him at the moment. He played the dominant card just now, yet now he was fully happy to be a sub in every way, even enjoying it. The turtle just had to ask. “Babe, you were in dominant mode just like five minutes ago, now you’re being a sub. What gives?” Connor let Don’s cock out of his mouth and laughed. “You don’t get it, do you? I don’t care where I am in terms of top or bottom, I just care that you’re happy. Plus, I’m a bit of a switch anyway, so I like this treatment.” “Switch?” “It’s a BDSM term, referring to someone who can be a dom or a sub whenever.” Don chuckled. “That’s it, huh?” Connor nodded before he continued the blowjob, with the turtle continuing the churring. He sped up a bit, and Don’s eyes opened. “Babe, keep going… I’m about to… aaah…” As soon as Don muttered that out, his body started to convulse, spraying into Connor’s throat. The human swallowed and then smiled. “Better now?” Don grinned. “More than better. Thanks, babe.” “You’re welcome.” Connor then got out of the footwell, climbing back on top of Don. He kissed his lover, chuckling to himself. Don just got deeper into their kiss, enjoying the sensation of his lover being on top of him. They may be in Connor’s car, but that didn’t matter.

Connor pulled away after a little bit, laughing. “I’ve gotta get back to work on this stuff, babe. I think you have something you need to get to as well. I love you, don’t forget that.” Don grinned. “You think I would forget that… I think what just happened in the past fifteen minutes was more than enough proof. Plus, I was really horny when I got up here.” His lover smiled. “I could tell, considering how eager you were to suck me off… Have you done anything like that before?” Don shook his head. “Nope, I guess I’m pretty good at it, huh?” Connor chuckled. “Once I gave you those little tips, damn. You felt what it was like just now, pretty much that.” The turtle turned slightly red. “I just never thought I would get into sucking someone off like that… Like I wanted to be your bitch or something.” “Well, I guess we will still have to feel around in that kind of area, considering it takes most couples a year or more to even get close to getting all kinky and stuff. You do understand, right babe?” Don nodded. “We can just ease into it. Where we are right now is a great place.” Connor chuckled. “Me being on top of you in my car is great and all, but we do need to get out of here.”

The turtle laughed. “Alright, alright.” Connor opened the door, stumbling out of the car. Don laughed as he got out, closing the door behind him. His lover looked back and turned around, giving the turtle a hug. “I love you… it’s still weird to say. Hell, it’s still weird to feel.” Don chuckled. “It’s still weird for me too, babe. Just got to take it day-by-day. That’s what I do, that’s how you didn’t surprise me this morning. I honestly expected something like that to happen.” Connor paused and sighed. “I’m still sorry about all of that.” Don shook his head. “Don’t need to apologize.” “I know, I know. Those thoughts are still in the back of my head, and it’s awfully hard to get over it… I know I will eventually, but I don’t know when eventually is. A week, a month? It’s that uncertainty that makes me all anxious.” Don squeezed his lover a bit tighter. “Don’t worry about that, babe. I will help you out if you ever need it. I’ll do anything to make you feel better, I promise.” 

Connor chuckled. “Speaking of feeling better, the surprise I have lined up for you will do that. I’m still not saying anything, but that’s my little hint.” Don grinned. “And mine will make you feel, well, I don’t know about better, but I guess better works. Still no details obviously, I don’t want to spoil it.” Connor chuckled as he walked back over to the workbenches, looking back at Don. “Anyway, surprises over. I need to get back to this stuff, the glue has dried.” The turtle nodded as he pushed the button to the elevator. “I love you, babe.” Connor smiled. “I love you too.” Don then closed the doors as his lover sighed, the human holding a four-by-four. Setting it down on the workbench, he chuckled. “I really do love him,” Connor thought as he set one of the pre-cut legs in its right spot. Drilling pilot holes, he still chuckled. His whole life had been flipped upside down, but at least in a few ways it was better. A certain family of mutant ninjas had become his new family, and one of them specifically had become his lover. It was certainly weird to the human, but for now, the legs for each of the tables were the priority. That didn’t mean he still couldn’t think about his new burgeoning success, even if it takes a bit of heartbreak and trickery to get there.

* * *

1:43 PM

* * *

The natural-bristled brush slid over the top of the table for the last time, because the first coat of varnish was done being applied. After that, Connor exhaled. It had taken quite a while to sand down all the rough edges, and getting the varnish evenly applied to the wood without screwing it up was rather stressful, and the fumes were noxious. He had the ventilation system on, so most of the off-gassing had been limited. Setting the brush down, he took off his mask and grinned. The varnish had wicked itself into the wood, so now it looked more like a desk instead of a plywood table built in a garage. The bad part though is that it would take seven hours for the first coat to fully cure, and it needs at least two to three coats for full effect. Sighing, Connor walked into the elevator, hitting the button to go back down to the lair. 

While he waited for the coat to dry, a shower was desperately needed. Connor’s hair was rather greasy, and it probably didn’t look all that great. He headed down to the living room, informing everyone of what was going on. “So, uh, I have the first coat of varnish up there drying. Please don’t touch it. It also smells like a chemical factory in there, so if you need to go up to the garage for any reason, remember that. That is all.” Raph chuckled. “Alright, I got it. I have no reason to be up there anymore anyway.” Connor smiled. “Sorry, I have to make sure. I don’t want my primer coat to be ruined is all.” The red-banded turtle nodded. “Gotcha.” Connor chuckled as he walked back up the stairs, going into Don’s lab. The turtle looked over to his lover and smiled. “Hey babe, what are you up to?” “Nothing much. Finished the first coat of varnish. Don’t go in there, it smells horrible.” Don chuckled and shook his head. “I won’t.” Connor smiled. “I’m glad. I’ve got nothing else going on but I need a shower. Look at my hair! You say you don’t care what I look like, but look how greasy it is…” The turtle shook his head. “You don’t look that bad to me, I swear.” “You kidding? It looks like Saddam Hussein is going to invade my scalp for oil…” Don laughed. “Okay, okay. If you think you look bad it’s one thing, but you still look great to me.”

Connor blushed a bit. “I love you. I’ve just started to accept that, and I guess it’s something I should embrace.” Don smiled. “I love you too. You’ve already pretty much convinced me from everything you’ve done… How are you so perfect?” Connor shrugged. “I don’t know, you tell me, wise guy… All I know is that you would be great as a human, but you are even better as a turtle.” “I mean, you do love watching when I switch my human generator off. Did you honestly think you would be attracted to me at all?” The human chuckled. “I didn’t think any of this would have happened, I would have just gotten out of school and would sit and rot at a job for the next forty years before retiring. I think all of this is a little more exciting, not even counting you.” Don smiled. “You haven’t even been on a patrol with us, let alone in an actual fight. What we would be doing during practice is nothing compared to the stuff we land into out there.” Connor paused a bit. “I’m still a little confused internally about the whole ninja fighter thing. Most people our age in normal lives don’t do shit, yet here you guys are protecting the city. It’s great and all, but I need to get used to that fact.” 

Don looked up at his lover and just smiled. “I know you will. I also can probably figure out that you are going to learn a lot about yourself in training with whatever Splinter wants you to do. You may have been just an average teenager, but Leo said something about how there’s some sort of switch we haven’t flipped yet.” Connor shrugged. “How would I know? Anyway, I’m off for the bathroom… I love you.” Don grinned as his lover started walking out. “I love you too, babe.” As Connor headed to their room for some fresh clothes, Don had to follow. “A shower together isn’t a bad idea,” he thought as he poked his head in. His lover was pulling a pair of jeans out of their drawer. Connor looked up and chuckled. “What now?” The turtle just grinned. “I just thought maybe that you would like me to shower with you… if that is possible, of course.” Connor set the jeans on their bed and grasped Don, pulling himself up to kiss his lover. “That sounds like a great idea, babe. Let me get the rest of this outfit together first.” Don nodded as Connor went through their closet, flipping through shirts. “What do you think, purple or gray?” “Purple seems to a bit more vibrant, and it fits your mood a bit better.” Connor smiled. “Purple it is then.” He then kissed Don again, rubbing his hand on the turtle’s cheek. “I love you, babe. Let’s get in there while we still have a chance, huh?” 

The turtle nodded. “Lead the way.” Connor grinned as he grabbed his new outfit, walking out of their room and into the bathroom, leaving the door cracked. Don just shook his head as he walked across the hall, chuckling to himself. He still couldn’t believe he had someone who would do this with him, let alone even having someone who loves him as much as Connor did. He walked into the bathroom, seeing his lover taking off his watch and setting it on the sink. Connor smiled as he saw Don walk in, not even trying to hide any emotion. Too bad that someone downstairs saw this whole thing go down. Raph looked up and shook his head. Leo looked over with a confused look. “What’s up, Raph?” “Oh, just those two again. Going into the shower together, pretty much kicking me out of the garage earlier, yadda yadda.” The blue-banded turtle chuckled. “Yeah, I’ve noticed that. I guess after this morning, anything helps. You remember how I was when Usagi traveled to our world. I was completely hopelessly in love with him, to the point of not even wanting to get out of his touch. I’m just guessing they are doing something like that, to a lesser extent. If it makes Connor feel any better having Don with him, then so be it. He doesn’t feel antsy or anything when he is alone either, so I can’t really say I care all that much. I was way worse, and I fully admit it.” 

Raph nodded. “Least ya admit ya were. And to be honest, I don’t care that much. It’s just kinda funny when they stumble into the bathroom together like that.” Leo chuckled. “I guess you will just find out soon enough. Plus, taking a shower with your lover is honestly an amazing feeling.” The red-banded turtle chuckled. “I guess I wouldn’t know then, huh? I mean I get it and all. Anyway, I’m just wondering what has gotten into Connor to make him so happy all the sudden, when he was completely broken this morning.” Leo shrugged. “Might want to ask Don that one, he knows more about him than any of us… I can probably throw out some suggestions, but I doubt you need them.” Raph shook his head. “I think I got that much. But if that’s all it takes to make him back to normal, I can’t say I’m all too surprised. He’s pretty damn tough internally.” Leo nodded. “I can’t help but see that too. If I were in his place, I would be so withdrawn. Like when I first got home, but worse. Way worse.” 

Mikey shivered a bit as he heard that. “That wouldn’t be too good, Leo.” “No, it wouldn’t. Do you have anything to weigh in on about any of this?” Mikey shook his head as he continued to look at his video game. “Not really. You two have pretty much hit on everything I would have said, except for a small little thing. I know it may seem like I read minds sometimes, but listen. Connor looks like he still has some major things he needs to work over mentally. More than any of us have ever had to do. Getting Don to do something with him in the shower or whatever is a great start, but there’s going to be some more cracks in the wall. It’s like that one Pink Floyd song Don likes so much. Connor has just added bricks in the wall over time, and the first few were him being homesick. I think he’s about over maybe fifteen percent of that. Over the next few weeks, he will see things that remind him of home, or someone he knew or something that happened. I doubt Don can help that much with that, because it is going to take a lot of tears and time to get to a normal… kinda state. He’ll never be fully perfect, considering he never grew up like we did, but any little bit helps. I’m thinking maybe going on a patrol tonight might help him out.”

Leo looked at Mikey with a surprised look. “Really?” Mikey nodded. “It’s a way out of the lair for a little bit, and we can show him what we do. I can probably figure he is still confused a bit about what we actually do besides sitting around here all day.” Raph chuckled. “Cause that is pretty much all we do nowadays, plus I’m guessing ever since he came here we haven’t done much for obvious reasons. Are we in any kind of risk to go topside?” Leo shook his head. “I now know that we aren’t, considering no one has followed Connor in any of his little outings or anything. Maybe they were watching, maybe not. All I know is that we can go out and patrol, hope no one ambushes us. I know Connor is strong for who he is and can maybe hold his own in a fight, but against a Dragon or even a Foot soldier? That’s when I’m a little hesitant.” He then sighed, and shook his head again. “Yeah, we can go on a patrol. I want to see how he reacts in a situation that would be minor to us. You do know how he could have knocked that Foot soldier out, but he instead killed her.” Mikey piped up. “Mutagen was coursing through his system, remember. It wasn’t just adrenaline, which doesn’t help. That sudden response isn’t in him anymore.” 

Leo paused. “You know, that is true. Plus with even the little bit of training we have given him, I think he’ll be alright. I still don’t know if he goes into some sorta stealth fighter mode or anything.” Raph shook his head. “Me either, and there’s only one way to find out.” “That’s also true. I’m not holding out either, so we will see.” Mikey nodded. “He’ll be fine, and you will too. No need to worry about anything, especially about his mentality. There are certain things you can only fix yourself, and that is one of them.” Leo sighed. “I just need to get that into my head. He isn’t one of us, who has grown up here and trained and fought. I still need to remember that he was just a normal teenager less than two weeks ago. I keep forgetting that.” As the blue-banded turtle sighed, the door to the bathroom creaked open. Connor walked out of it with a towel wrapped around his head, and Don not far behind him. They hugged each other, and Don headed to his lab while his lover walked down the stairs. Leo smiled. “Hey, we have to talk to you.” The human laughed. “I’ll go pack my stuff up, fine. Be that way, it’s okay. Nope, totally fine.” Leo shook his head and laughed. “Nope, not that, I promise. Something a bit different.” Connor chuckled as he sat down. “So, what’s up?” Leo started the real conversation after a pause.

“Well, I need to ask a question first. How do you feel, physically or mentally or both?” Connor smiled. “I feel fine. Mentally, I’m not quite there but throughout the day I’ve been getting better, and physically I’m fine. Why?” The blue-banded turtle smiled. “I was just wondering if you wanted to come with us for a patrol tonight. You do know what we do on patrol, right?” “Don gave me the five-minute rundown. You guys go on the rooftops, going down to stop a petty crime or someone from being hurt… is that all?” Leo shook his head. “It’s usually about that much, but on some nights, it can get a little more hectic than that. It’s all a roll of the dice.” Connor nodded. “I’ll go with you guys tonight. It sounds like fun. And as you said, it’s pretty much gambling on what happens. Did Don talk to any of you about earlier?” Raph shook his head. “Nope, why?” Connor smiled. “He and Splinter apparently found my perfect weapon. Any guesses?” Mikey piped up. “Some nunchucks?” Connor shook his head. “Nope. Sorry. Next.” Raph opened his mouth a bit. “Uh… some type’a sword.” The human shook his head again. Leo paused to think. 

Connor smiled. “Any guesses, Leo? You’re the leader of the group here, you should be a little closer.” Leo opened his mouth, but then closed it again. “I don’t know… maybe tonfa?” Connor chuckled. “Ding ding ding, we have a winner. Did you have a reason why you guessed that?” Leo shrugged. “Educated guess, maybe. I honestly had no clue…” “Well, do you want to know possibly why?” All three of the other turtles nodded in unison. “Okay. My reasoning was I needed something I could carry with me that wouldn’t just break right when I needed it. And apparently two wooden rolling pins with handles are kind of hard to break. Splinter handed your pair to me and I pretty much got the gist of it instantly.” Leo smiled. “That’s great. Anything else you know?” “Well, I know that Don and Splinter have a surprise in store for me revolving around them, maybe they’re making a custom pair for me. I don’t know, but it seems like that is what’s happening. I’m afraid Don isn’t the best at hiding the context behind a secret…” Mikey started laughing. “That’s Don, alright. He tries but he’s too honest.” Connor nodded. “I’ve already learned that. Should I teach him how to be a little more deceptive, or no?” Raph shook his head. “We already get enough of that. Keep him honest, and I guess ya can be the opposite side of the coin.” 

Connor laughed. “Fine, fine. I’ll keep him the good boy that he is. Anything else?” Leo shook his head. “That’s all I had, unless you have anything you need to ask.” The human paused. “I don’t really have a question, more of a concern.” Leo nodded. “What is it?” “Do you guys feel something’s off about Don? I don’t know if it’s just me.” Raph nodded. “He seems like he’s all over you today. Probably from this morning, to be honest.” Leo looked over and chuckled. “He’s fine. You do something to him that makes him so… addicted to you, in a way.” Connor smiled. “I guess so. You guys grew up with him, so I thought I would ask.” Leo froze after hearing that. “Speaking of growing up, I need to talk to you in private sometime later. I need to know how you grew up, so I can relate a bit more to what I need to do to train you over time.” Connor sighed. “Okay… beware that me bringing up something might get me out of composure a bit. All I could remember this morning was growing up, obviously. You are aware of that, right?” Leo nodded. “I just want to know how you’re going to react in a fight, and your background will reflect some of that.” 

Connor paused, sighing. “Alright, maybe in a little bit here. I have a couple of things to check on before that.” “That’s fine with me. Raph, Mikey, anything to add?” Two other two turtles shook their heads before Leo continued. “Go and do whatever you need to, I’ll be in my room.” Connor stood up and nodded, walking towards the stairs. Going up the steps, the human walked to the elevator, opening it and getting in. First step was to check the varnish on the desks. At this moment, it should have been starting to wick itself into the wood, getting tacky to the touch. As the doors opened into the garage, Connor took a whiff of the air. The noxious chemical smell was mostly knocked out, and looking at the desks in the light, they lost their sudden gloss, going to more of a satin shine. Connor carefully touched a spot that would be against the wall later. The varnish still felt quite sticky, so it still had to dry for quite a few more hours. 

Connor leaned down and looked at the evenness of the finish on top. Certain sections looked a little more raised, so there were some areas to tackle on the second coat. To the layperson they wouldn’t have even seen that, but Connor had eyes that caught that small detail. He had painted before, so the evenness of coats and the way they dried were of the utmost importance. Sighing in relief, the human stood back up and walked back into the elevator. “I expected that to be worse for a first coat,” he thought as the elevator went back down. The doors opened, and Connor headed into Leo’s room. Poking his head in, he chuckled. “Sup?” Leo smiled as he looked up from his book. “You done with your little errand?” Connor nodded as he walked into the small bedroom. “I was just checking to make sure my varnish was drying. It’s coming out well.” 

Leo smiled again and sat up. “Come and sit down.” The human did so, plunking himself down on the turtle’s small bed. He looked down and paused. “You barely fit on this thing… how do you and Usagi even manage it together?” Leo chuckled. “I don’t know. Once he knocked me off the bed when he moved.” Connor paused while he chuckled at the thought. “I have an idea, hang on.” He got up and out of the room, heading toward Don’s lab. There was no sign over the door anymore, so he walked in. Don looked up and smiled. “Hey babe, do you need my help with anything?” Connor turned around and looked at the bed still laying against the wall. “Do you think I could take that old bed and swap it out for Leo’s? Apparently, he fell off the bed when he had Usagi sleeping with him. I thought maybe I could swap the two, his current bed for this one. It’s bigger and you’re not actually doing anything with it now. Plus, I think a twin sized bed would fit better in here than a full queen.” Don smiled. “I guess we could do that. Do you need my help getting them out of here?” 

Connor shook his head. “He’s getting this damn bed, he can help me out. Stay in here and do whatever you needed to.” Don nodded. “Alright. That was a smart idea, by the way. Maybe Usagi can stay here more often now, too. That would be fun.” The human chuckled. “He would love that, his boyfriend being here more often. I mean I have that benefit with you because we live here full-time, but yeah. Anyway, I’ll go and tell him. Thanks, babe.” “You shouldn’t be thanking me.” “I know, but I did.” Connor then left the lab, walking down the hallway to Leo’s room. Poking his head in, he laughed. “I may have a little surprise for you. It involves you getting off your bed and dragging it out of your room.” Leo looked confused. “Why?” “Let’s say I found you an upgrade. We need to go to the lab to get it, though.” The turtle stood up and shook his head, smiling.

“Alright, lead the way, Connor. I’m guessing this is something I’ll like.” The human nodded as he walked out of the room, going into the lab. He stood next to the beds on the wall and waited for the blue-banded turtle to come in. Leo did after ten seconds, starting the conversation. “Let me guess, this is Don’s old bed, and mine will fit better in here.” Connor nodded. “Not just that. This one is bigger, and I think Usagi could stay over here more because of that… what do you think babe?” Don nodded with a smile. Leo just started giggling before he grabbed Connor and picked him up off the ground. “I won’t say I love you, but I fucking love you right now.” The human chuckled as he was lifted. “I mean I’m open…” Don started laughing. “That’s a no from me, sorry. You’re all mine.” Leo let Connor back down on the ground, chuckling. “I’m sorry for overreacting a bit there. You don’t know how many times I’ve thought that over this past few months…” 

Connor smiled. “So, what are you waiting for? I’ll slide your old bed out while you drag these down the hall. Put them up against the wall for right now.” Leo saluted as Connor left the lab. He went into Leo’s room and looked at the bed. It was a basic twin size bed with a bare minimum of linens on it, just a pillow and some sheets. He carefully removed those, leaving a bare mattress and a frame. He slid the mattress off the frame, picking it up and sliding it out of the room and setting it in the hallway. The frame was easy enough, it was on sliders. Connor then pulled on the frame, sliding it slowly out of the door. It was narrow enough to where it would fit at an angle, so he slid it out, careful not to mar the paint of the doorframe. He laid the frame down, putting the mattress back on top of it. Leo looked over, smiling. He had his new mattress halfway to his room. Connor paused. “Hey, set it right there for now. I need to get your frame all set up first.” Leo set the mattress against the wall, looking confused. “What frame?” “Go look in my new workshop right here.” Leo poked his head into the room and went “Oh. Yeah, alright. Why do I need that anyway? There’s still a box spring in there.” 

The human paused. “Well, the frame will make it easier to get on and off the bed, because it will be slightly higher. Also, they make little plastic boxes that slide under your bed for storage, if you ever want to do that.” Leo nodded. “It makes sense. Do you need help with the frame?” Connor shook his head. “It’s kind of light, just big. I’ll get it.” He then walked into his workshop, flipping the metal frame sideways. After that, he slowly slid the frame out of the door, making sure it didn’t fall over. Leo just looked on in amazement. Before this, Connor wouldn’t have been able to even lift that. But now with the mutagen and light training, it was child’s play. “Alright, I’m going to put this in your room. Grab that box spring and slide it in here.” Leo nodded as he went back to the lab, and Connor slid the metal frame into the turtle’s room. He set it down on its sliders and then sighed. He hadn’t really planned to do a whole bed transplant, but it seemed like that was what was happening. Leo would be happy, that is all that mattered. 

Leo came into the room, grasping the box spring. “So, what are we doing with this?” “Well, slide it to your side and then push it over. I’ll grab the edge and get it lined up. Same with the mattress really.” The turtle smiled. “I can’t thank you enough for this, Connor.” The human shook his head. “Not a problem. I like making you happy, even if it’s something as small as giving you Don’s old bed. What are you going to do about Usagi, anyway?” Leo started to think as he laid the box spring down over the frame. “I don’t know what to do, really. Tomorrow is a free day for all of us, so maybe he could move in then? I think he would be alright with seeing me more, and him living with the Force is incidental.” Connor chuckled. “How is he going to react to a teenager with hair down his back that happens to be in a relationship with a genius turtle?” “He’s more open-minded than you think. First off, we’re together, so that helps.” “But like, what about the whole came-from-feudal-Japan thing? I don’t think their society aligns with ours.” 

Leo paused, sighing. “He still does have some views that are stuck in the past in a few ways. It took him three months to finally feel comfortable to get into a relationship with a guy… I don’t know. Maybe just be cordial with him and he will accept you. The whole modern American society is still new to him, after all. You are the most American of any of us, so maybe he could learn some things from you.” Connor nodded. “That’s true. Also, what kinds of music does he listen to?” The turtle paused. “Maybe a trip through your knowledge of it will help. Also, do you think you could teach him the history of our world?” The human chuckled as he stood up. “You want me to be a social studies teacher?” “Exactly. Like focusing on major wars and shifts over the past couple hundred years, especially in America. Do you know enough to teach him?” “Yeah, I took two AP history classes. Those are basically college-level classes, so I think I’m good. I just guess I will need to figure out how to teach him once I meet him. You can get that together, right?” 

The turtle nodded. “He’s moving in tomorrow if possible. He doesn’t have many things…” Connor paused. “I have a question. What does he wear? Is he like you guys, or does he wear more like traditional Japanese uniforms and such?” “The latter mostly. Are you saying maybe you two could go together and get more modern fashion for him?” “Exactly… How old is he anyway?” “He’s twenty.” Connor paused to think. “I know of some stores around that cater to younger people, and this could be a bonding thing. Show him what people wear nowadays, probably find a few outfits that look good on him. Show him what life is like for the modern American, really. What do you think?” Leo grinned. “That sounds great. What kind of stores do you plan to go to, anyway?” “I’m thinking mostly like thrift-store type of things. There’s some around here that ought to have some really nice clothes for cheap. This isn’t like back home, where thrift stores have like stuff from grandma’s place. I mean if April found a lot of the stuff I wear at a thrift store, I think I can find stuff Usagi would like. What do you think his fashion would be like, anyway?” 

“Hmm… I don’t know, honestly. Maybe like a mix of modern and some throwback kind of things. If it were to be an era, I’d say it was solid eighties to nineties. Anything timeless would work too, like jeans and leather jackets.” Connor paused to think. “I’ll still have to meet him first, so there’s that. I doubt he even knows what sizes he wears, so there’s that. We will need to figure that out, then find stuff he wants to wear. How tall is he and how much does he weigh?” “He’s close to you, just add about three inches and about thirty pounds or so.” “So, like five seven and about one-thirty to one-thirty-five?” “That sounds about right.” Connor nodded. “That gives me a rough idea to start. Anyway, why don’t we finally get that mattress in here? We’ve been talking for fifteen minutes and not actually doing shit.” Leo nodded and went into the hallway. Connor chuckled to himself. He wasn’t just a teacher, but also a confidant, also apparently a fashionista too. How many more hats could he wear?

* * *

8:23 PM

* * *

Connor was in the garage again. The first coat of varnish had finally dried, so he was laying down the second coat. He had a mask on so he wouldn’t breathe in as many fumes, but it really wasn’t working. He spread the coating all over the table, making sure it was evenly applied. The first coat was like a primer, so the second coat could be spread more thickly. It didn’t run or anything like paint did, so the brush kept getting dipped into the can… that was slowly getting empty. “Thank god I got two cans,” Connor thought as he cracked open the second can of varnish. He started laying the second coat of varnish on the second desk, being careful to get it evenly applied. This was the stage where any mistakes in the finish would be seen the most easily, so concentration was important.

About five minutes later, he had the second coat completely applied on both desks. It was as even as he could possibly get it, so the coat was done. Connor looked at the desks again to make sure they were evenly coated. Also, another effect of the oil-based varnish is the color that was coming through. Water-based varnishes didn’t impart as much color, which is good for certain cases. The varnish on the desks now seemed to get them from a light natural wood color to a yellow-brown color a few shades darker, and once it dried, it would get slightly darker. It wouldn’t compare to a stain which soaked into the wood and changed its color, but after the third coat these desks would look great. Connor took his mask and gloves off, closing the second can of varnish. He made sure the ventilation system was still running, and he walked into the elevator. 

In the meantime between Leo’s bed switching adventure and this second coat of varnish, quite a few interesting things happened. First, he and Leo finished his new bed, putting some new sheets and pillows on it. The turtle was so happy with the upgrade, immediately getting up and walking out of the room with a grin on his face. Walking down the stairs, Leo ducked down the small hallway for Splinter’s shoji. The rat already sensed Leo’s presence, so he smiled. Calling out “Come in, my son,” Leo opened the door. He still had this ridiculous grin on his face, which Splinter noticed instantly. “What is the reason for such the good mood, my son?” Leo laughed. “Well, Connor had an idea, and I happen to love it. We just swapped my bed out for Don’s old one… and he said that maybe Usagi could stay over here more often. What do you think about that, Father?” Splinter smiled. “Well, that is a good idea. What about the Justice Force though?” Leo paused to think.

“Well, they don’t do any sort of crime fighting that often, so maybe he can just go meet them whenever necessary. He does have a cell phone and all of that sort of thing, so they could communicate with him if need be.” Splinter nodded. “That sounds great. When do you plan on him moving in?” “I would preferably say tomorrow if possible.” The rat smiled. “Well, I am going along with this decision. Remember, this is all up to Usagi and not you, my son. If he does not want to move, leave him be. The offer would still be on the table, of course.” Leo nodded. “I’m going to call him here in a little bit, so we will see. Oh, Connor also said maybe he could take Usagi around the city for a little while, possibly buy him some new clothes and things like that. Get him more engrained into our culture, one little step at a time.” Splinter smiled. “That also sounds like a great idea. Tell Connor that, too.” Leo smiled as he stood up. “I will. Thank you, Father.” Splinter waved his hand in the air. “No need to thank me. Your lover has a place here if he ever wants to stay, and that is irrevocable.” Leo nodded. “Alright, I’m going to call him.” Splinter bowed as Leo left the room, the turtle whipping out his phone. Going through the contacts, he pressed the call button by Usagi’s name. 

Leo put the phone to his ear, smiling. It rung three times before the rabbit picked up. “Leo?” The turtle blushed. “Hey babe. I have an interesting situation… What do you think about moving into the lair?” The rabbit paused and laughed. “That sounds wonderful… Almost like I have been waiting four months or something for that to come up.” Leo groaned. “I know, I know. Anyway, the time has finally come. We swapped my bed out for something bigger, so you don’t make me fall off again.” Usagi started laughing. “When can I move in?” “Tomorrow. You don’t have much to pack up, do you?” “No, I do not…” Leo chuckled. “Well, you will have some more things tomorrow too. It’s a long story, but we found someone in the sewers about two weeks ago. You can meet him tomorrow too. He thinks you’re cool.” The rabbit was confused. “Wait… you found someone in the sewers, and he lives with you?” “Yeah. It’s been quite a weird little bit of time so far. I can hand the phone to him if you really want me to.” “No, I shall hold the surprise until tomorrow. What time to do you want to meet?” 

Leo paused to think. “The earlier the better. Maybe eight AM?” “That sounds great. I should go now, I need to tell the guys about this. I think they will be okay with it, however. I love you, Leo.” “I love you too, Usagi. I’ll meet you tomorrow at the Force building.” “Sounds great. Goodnight.” “Goodnight.” Leo then hung up the phone, squealing like a little girl. Connor caught that and chuckled. “Let me guess, you still want to crawl all over him.” Leo turned red right after Connor said that, meekly sitting down on the couch. The human busted out laughing. “I fuckin’ knew it!” Leo shook his head, still a reddish-green in color. “Please… You know where I’m coming from.” “I do, but still the way you squealed was like a preteen seeing her favorite pop star. It was funny is all.” Leo inhaled, chuckling a bit. “Yeah, he does that to me. I think it’s great.” “It is… but lay off the squealing, please. I can only take so much of it.” Leo nodded. “Alright, alright. I didn’t mean to do that, anyway.” Connor laughed. “I know. It was just funny, this stoic figure turning into a little girl when his boyfriend is mentioned, let alone is moving in tomorrow.” 

Leo just remained silent as Connor continued. “What’s for dinner, Mikey?” “Is pizza okay? I really don’t feel like making anything.” The human nodded. “Sounds okay. I’m just starting to get hungry is all. All this working today.” Mikey smiled. “When can I see those desks?” “When I’m done with them?... I don’t want anyone to touch them while I’m still working on them.” The orange-banded turtle whimpered a bit. “Okay, okay. I get it, sorry.” “No need to apologize, I just don’t want someone to screw them up. I am going to put the second coat on after dinner, I’ll show you then.” Mikey nodded. “Promise?” “I promise. You promise you will have those hands behind your back…” The turtle chuckled. “Alright, alright. I’m calling the pizza place, by the way.” 

Half an hour later, Mikey walked into the lair with six pizzas, setting them down on the dinner table. “Can you get Don?” Connor nodded. “You know I will.” He then went up the stairs, poking his head into the lab. “Hey babe, dinner’s here.” Don looked over from his computer and smiled. “Let me finish this real quick.” Connor shook his head. “If you say that, it’ll be three more hours before you’re finished. Just save and get down here for fuck’s sake.” Connor went back down the stairs. His lover just laughed. The human had no sort of tact in that, but it worked. Don saved his work and got out of his chair, walking out of the lab. Connor looked up and chuckled. “I knew that would work…” His lover grinned. “Yeah, yeah, alright. Whatever. I’m going down here now, so it worked.” Connor smiled, thinking to himself. “Even if I have to drag him out like that, he’s still Don, and I love him for that.” Don then came into the dining room, sitting next to Connor. “What are you smiling about, babe?” “You.” The turtle leaned over, putting his head on his lover’s left shoulder. 

Don started their small conversation as Mikey was handing out boxes of pizza. “I’m glad you’re smiling about me, not frowning or cringing or crying.” Connor chuckled and shook his head. “I am too. Now, come on, let’s eat. It’s still my job to make sure you eat, remember.” Don groaned. “Yeah, I do. Anyway, practice what you preach and start eating…” The human smiled as he bit into a slice of meat lover’s pizza. Leo started the conversation for the rest of the table. “So, guys, I asked Usagi if he could move in… and he is tomorrow morning.” Mikey grinned. “So…” Raph slapped the back of Mikey’s head. “No damn pranks yet. The poor guy still isn’t used to our world, let alone you.” Mikey whimpered a bit, and Don chuckled. “Sorry, Mike. Maybe after a while you can start that back up, just remember who your victims are.” Connor nodded. “If you screw with me, expect equal or higher payback. Excuse my words, sensei, but karma is a bitch.” Splinter chuckled at the end of the table. “That expression does fit, although it is quite crude. Anyway, continue.” Connor chuckled at the comment, before Leo continued.

“So, yeah that’s happening tomorrow morning. I left you as a surprise, Connor. I didn’t mention anything but your gender and how we found you, so there’s that.” The human laughed. “Let’s say he will be quite surprised with me… I’m looking forward to it. He sounds cool.” Leo smiled. “He’s great… ah man, I can’t wait to see him again.” Raph nudged Leo. “You’ll be fine. It’s only like what, fifteen hours until then?” Leo sighed. “Yeah, fifteen hours too long, I think.” Connor smiled. “You’ll be fine, I swear.” The blue-banded turtle nodded. “I’ll keep it together… or as much as I can. All bets are off tomorrow morning, though.” The rest of the table either chuckled or nodded after that. Dinner for the rest of the night was an easy affair. Everyone was finally happy, after a mental breakdown from Connor that morning and a general unease through the middle of the day. Now, he couldn’t be any more at ease, and Leo couldn’t be more overjoyed. Things were great in the lair on this Saturday night.

* * *

Back to the present time

* * *

The doors to the elevator opened, and Connor stepped out. He whistled out into the lair. “Mikey, come here…” The turtle paused his video game and quickly went up the stairs. “So, can I see them?” Connor nodded. “Yeah, you can. Remember, don’t you fucking dare touch anything, or I will break said fingers…” Mikey chuckled. “Alright, alright, I know you’re possessive and all, but jeeze…” Connor opened the elevator again, and Mikey walked in. He stepped in and closed the doors. “Beware, the smell in there will pretty much knock you out, so take light breaths. I have a respirator you can put on.” Mikey nodded. “How badly does this stuff even smell?” “Well, without a respirator, I got dizzy in ten seconds… so there’s that.” “Oooh, okay.” The doors opened, and Mikey borderline choked. “You weren’t kidding…” Connor grabbed the two respirators off the bench and handed one to the turtle. Ten seconds later, both were breathing. Mikey looked at the desks and laughed. “These look great, Connor. It looks so even…” Connor nodded. “I tried. Remember, don’t touch. It’s still like sticky liquid right now, and you’ll leave a major mark.” 

Mikey put his hands behind his shell and looked at the finish. Connor coughed. “T-T-Th-that’s all, folks!” The turtle nodded as he took off his respirator, getting into the elevator quickly. Connor followed suit, setting his mask down before joining the turtle in the elevator. He quickly closed the doors, and the elevator started to whir down to the lair. Mikey started the conversation again. “You must have some sort of crazy eye for detail, because those tables look flawless.” Connor shook his head. “I don’t know, but all I know is that the first coat was slightly uneven. You probably couldn’t tell, but I could.” Mikey just sat there and shook his head. “You’re crazy. I’m sorry.” Connor shrugged. “Anyway, that was that, I think it was kind of underwhelming for all the hype you put into it.” The orange-banded turtle shook his head. “It’s about what I expected really. Too much effort put into it, but what comes out of it is worth it all. When do you expect them to be dry?” “About another seven hours from now. Then I’ll lay the third coat and let it dry, then move the desks into my new little workshop.” 

The turtle inhaled. “That’s still a lot of time.” Connor shook his head. “I already planned for it all. Don’t worry about it.” The doors to the lair opened again, and Mikey shot off. Connor sighed, chuckling. If Mikey was that excited about a pair of desks, he wondered how he would be on a patrol. There were only so many ways to find out, and going on patrol was one of them.

* * *

10:43 PM

* * *

The turtles and Connor were on the rooftop of a building. Leo was laying out plans. “Alright, we are splitting up. Raph and Mikey, you’re with Connor. Don and I will also be a team tonight.” Don whimpered a bit, and Connor chuckled. “You’ll be alright, babe. This is like a normal thing for you guys, I’ll be fine, I swear. If I need to use these, I will.” Don looked down to Connor holding the two tonfa in his hands and he chuckled. “I know you will.” Leo continued. “You guys go north, we’ll go south. Got it?” Connor nodded. “Alright, let’s go.” The two groups split up, and Connor started the conversation. “So, what are we looking for?” Raph smiled. “Any sort of petty crime, anyone we can help, etcetera. Just a normal night for us.” Connor chuckled as he put the tonfa inside his jacket, in the inner lined pockets. “One good thing about a jacket, I have somewhere to put these things. It’d be hard to climb a ladder holding them.” Mikey nodded. “And that’s why we have belts. Sadly, human belts don’t really work that way.” Connor shook his head. “Ours are for holding up pants. Cops and stuff use utility belts, but they’re not really the most fashionable things.” 

Raph chuckled in response. “Humans, always so obsessed with fashion.” Connor clicked his tongue. “We need to wear clothes, you guys don’t. Be happy about that.” The red-banded continued looking down at the people moving in and out of businesses. “One thing about New York, it never seems to shut off.” Connor nodded. “I’m glad. Back in Atlanta like thirty years ago, all of downtown was like closed at nine outside of the clubs. Nowadays it’s twenty-four hours, but apparently back then no one really wanted to make money.” Raph laughed. “Yeah, that’s true. So, yeah. The guys we look for are awake right about now, so that’s why we’re up here. Plus it’s fun to people watch.” 

The human smiled. “That part is fun. It’s even better to talk shit about someone in front of their face without them noticing. It’s like being sneaky, but yet so overt at the same time.” Mikey chuckled. “I thought you were nice…” “If I want to be, of course. It’s hard not to be judgmental sometimes. Hell, it’s a survival tactic.” As Mikey chuckled, they continued to walk. The conversation was lighthearted as the three continued to walk, going from rooftop to rooftop. Connor almost slipped on a ladder once, and Mikey didn’t stop the teasing about it. However, there was a very slight mewing sound from around them. “Hey, shhhhh Mikey. I need to listen to something, it’s like a paternal instinct.” Mikey shut up as Connor focused on the sound. It was coming from below them, and Raph bit his tongue. The human went down a ladder, getting into the alley. The crying sound continued, and Connor had his ears on full alert. 

Getting closer to a dumpster, it got louder. He opened the lid and saw two gray eyes looking at him, slightly moving. He pulled his phone out of his pocket, turning the flashlight on. Connor chirped a bit when he did, seeing a tiny kitten sitting on an old pizza box. “Hey Raph, call Leo… I found a little kitten in here. It looks like it’s less than a month old, like two weeks old. It’s probably hungry and very cold, so I’m taking it home with us to take care of it.” Raph pulled his Shell Cell out and called Leo. “Hey, Connor found a kitten in a damn dumpster. Looks like it doesn’t have a mother. He said we should take it back so he can take care of it.” Leo choked a bit. “He found what?” “A damn kitten. Like a tiny cat thing.” Leo looked over at Don and his eyes widened. “What does he know about it?” “He said it’s hungry and cold, and it’s two weeks old-ish.” Leo put his hand over the microphone, and commented to Don. “Connor found a kitten in a dumpster. He’s taking it home.” Don interjected. “Tell him to take it, we can take care of it and take it to a vet in the morning.” Leo nodded. “Tell him to take it, and we can take care of it when we get back. Get to the lair, we will meet you there.” Raph nodded. “Alright, see ya later.” Raph hung up the phone and called down to the human.

“Leo and Don approved. Get the poor thing and we will take the sewers home.” Connor nodded. He carefully picked up the small black kitten, cooing to it. “It’ll be alright, I’m going to take care of you. I know you’re hungry and cold, I know." He zipped up his jacket, holding the kitten against his chest for warmth. Raph and Mikey climbed down the ladder, with the red-banded turtle smirking. “Now, you certainly didn’t expect that, did you?” Mikey shook his head. “I expected some kind of break-in, but not a little kitten. Is it cute?” Connor nodded. “Very. I’m just trying to make it survive right now, so let’s get the fuck back home.” Raph lifted the lid of a manhole cover, signaling for Connor to get in. “There’s a ladder here, so be careful. The human slowly worked himself down, using one hand to hold himself as he used the other to keep the crying kitten warm against his chest. Connor started to coo again. “It’ll be okay, little thing. I’m here now…” His shoes finally touched the ground of the sewer tunnel, and he sighed. 

Ten minutes later, the three finally got into the lair. “Raph, go tell Splinter. Mikey, I’ll look up a recipe for formula and I need you to make it. I need to get this guy warm and cleaned up.” The two turtles nodded. Raph headed for the shoji, while Connor pulled out his phone. He looked up an emergency kitten formula recipe, handing the phone to Mikey. “Make the fourth one. It says yolk, not whole egg, remember that.” Mikey saluted as he went to the kitchen, holding the phone and opening the cabinets. Connor headed for the bathroom, a crying kitten still in his clutch. “It’ll be okay, little buddy. I’m going to clean you up and make sure you are warm.” He set the kitten on the sink, making sure it didn’t go anywhere. He turned on the taps, getting the water to a slightly-above-skin temperature. He took the meowing kitten and held it under the water, careful not to get its head wet. He then took the kitten out, rubbing some anti-bacterial soap on his hands. The poor kitten was crying because it was wet. Connor chuckled as he grabbed the black mess, careful to not get soap anywhere near its head. He rubbed the soap into its fur, trying to get most of the dirt and crud in the small cat’s coat. 

Raph looked in the door, and Connor saw him in the mirror. “What did Splinter say?” “Nothing really, just that it’s like you, in cat form. We found you, you found it.” “It’s pretty ironic, isn’t it? Anyway, can you help me out? I need a heated blanket and a syringe. Do you have those?” Raph nodded as the kitten cried, feeling the water again. Connor cooed again, feeling slightly down. “It’ll be okay, little thing. I’m just cleaning you up, so you feel better.” He rubbed some more water into the kitten’s fur, rinsing the soap out of it. Hearing the door to the lair open again, Connor exhaled. Leo and Don walked into the bathroom, going “Aww” and “You alright, babe?” The human nodded. “This little thing needed some help, that’s for sure. Don, can you check on Mikey? He’s making some emergency formula for me.” The purple-banded turtle quickly left, leaving Leo. “So, how did you even find this thing?” “I heard it, and I had this gut feeling that there was something. It was very quiet, but I still heard it like it was a church bell or something.” Leo chuckled. “I had that gut feeling with you, too. It’s kind of ironic, in a way.” “Splinter said that, too. Anyway, I found this thing and I’m giving it a bath right now. Can you grab a small towel?” Leo nodded as he went into the bathroom, retrieving a hand towel. 

He handed it to Connor, who took it and wrapped the kitten in it. “There, there little buddy, it’ll be alright. All I need to do with you now is to let you go to the bathroom, and feed you.” Leo looked confused. “How does it go to the bathroom?” “With small little things like this, especially so young, you need to stimulate it. I think you know what I mean by stimulate, right?” The blue-banded turtle turned slightly red. “I get it, but I don’t need to know all of the details. Anyway, you said Mikey was getting you some formula made?” Connor continued drying off the mewling kitten, careful to be gentle. “Yeah, an emergency formula until I can get the right kitten formula replacement stuff. I also need to run this thing by a vet in the morning, to see if anything is wrong with it.” Leo nodded. “Sounds like a plan. Have you ever cared for kittens before?” Connor shook his head. “Cats, yes. Kittens, no. And especially not this young… but I’ve watched enough YouTube videos to know what to do.” “That’s interesting. Anyway, are you done with this part?” Connor wrapped the kitten in the towel, on the dry side. “I am now. Let’s get out of here.” 

The two left the bathroom, and Connor continued to clutch the kitten as he went into the living room. “Mikey, do you have that formula made?” The orange-banded turtle nodded. “With only the yolk, I made sure. Are you going to mix it with the water?” Connor nodded. “I need to make sure it is at the right consistency and temperature, relative to humans anyway. I don’t think your body temperature would be high enough.” He then took a bottle of water, opening it and putting it into a small cup. He put it in the microwave long enough to get it hot, and he stirred in the mixture of condensed milk and egg, getting it to a smooth consistency. He took a sample and put it on his wrist, pleased with the temperature. “Hey Raph, where’s that syringe?” Raph was holding a plastic vial. “Right over here. Do you need it now?” “Soon. Hang on.” Connor took a paper towel off the roll, rubbing the kitten’s backside. Mikey looked on, confused. “What are you doing?” “Making it go to the bathroom. It doesn’t do it by itself yet, because it’s so young.” The turtle nodded. “I got it.” Connor continued to rub the towel on the kitten until it stopped peeing. He chucked the towel into the trash, carrying the cup of formula and the kitten into the living room. 

Splinter was in his usual seat, looking onto the events. He saw the little kitten and he grinned. “That is quite adorable, I must say.” Connor smiled. “I say so too. Anyway, it needs to be fed.” Connor took the syringe, sucking up a vial of the formula. He held the kitten’s head and slowly put the formula into its mouth. It started to drink the formula, and so Connor increased the pressure on the syringe. It didn’t seem to stop until the vial was empty, but it cried for more. Connor shook his head. “This little guy must have been starving, usually it doesn’t take two syringefuls to feed a kitten like this.” He then took the syringe, getting another ration and giving more to the kitten. It continued to drink about half of the mixture before it stopped. Connor took the syringe and the cup, setting them aside. He rubbed the remainder off the kitten’s face and smiled. “Who knew being a father would be so damn hard…” Splinter laughed. “Kittens are much like turtles, except I didn’t need to feed my sons from a syringe.” Connor chuckled. “That is true. The problem is though, that I need to do this every three hours…” Don groaned. “That means you need to get up and do this all over again?” The human nodded. “I am afraid so. Hey Raph, do you have that blanket?” Raph handed the electric blanket to Connor. “Oh, it’s already warm, too. Thank you.” “You’re welcome. Anything else?” “Nope, I just need to keep watch on this little thing.” He turned the blanket on Low, wrapping the kitten in the fleece part of it. 

The black blob’s eyes started to close, it going to sleep almost instantly. “Well, scratch that. It’s asleep. The problem is that I will need to sleep out here to keep watch over it. Is that alright, babe?” Don nodded. “I’ll stay out here with you for the first cycle, if that helps.” Connor smiled. “That would be great, babe. I don’t think I need help from anyone else until the morning. Goodnight, guys.” The rest of the family went to their bedrooms, and Connor and his lover stayed in the living room. Don laid down, and Connor laid next to him, smiling. “I still can’t believe all of this. I found a kitten, and now it’s sleeping on a heated blanket… and I am the one who took care of it. It’s terrifying.” Don chuckled. “Yeah, that will do it. Do you want me to set my internal alarm for three hours from now?” “That would be great. I don’t think the kitten would like nuclear attack sirens, either.” Don smiled as he squeezed Connor. “Night for now, babe.” Connor smiled. “You too, babe.”

After three hours, Don woke up with his internal alarm going off. If training had done anything, it had made sure the brothers knew what exact time it was without a clock anywhere near them. He slowly nudged his lover, waking up the human. “Hey babe, it’s time to feed the kitten again.” Connor sat up instantly, yawning. “Alright, alright. Turn a light on, I need to grab that formula.” Don got up, turning on the overhead lights. Connor popped the cup of formula in the microwave, turning it on for thirty seconds. “Can you unwrap it and wake it up? It’s not old enough to walk yet, so it won’t really do anything but meow.” Don chuckled. “Alright. How do you know all this stuff about little kittens, anyway?” “YouTube videos, really… Anyway, I’ll take care of the rest of this real quick.” He then grabbed the cup, the syringe, and another paper towel, carrying them all into the living room. The turtle was petting the kitten, with it emitting a soft meow, or as close to it as it could make. Don just smiled. “This thing is pretty cute, babe.” Connor nodded as he sat down on the couch. “Yeah, kittens are like that. I’m glad it’s reacting alright to you, which is pretty surprising.” 

Don nodded as Connor picked up the black meowing cat, flipping it over on its back and repeating the stimulation process. The kitten now had to poop, and Connor wasn’t very excited. The kitten pushed, and it all was caught in the paper towel, thankfully. Don chuckled as Connor sounded like he wanted to throw up. “Sorry, babe. Babies have to poop, too. Also, is it a coincidence that your shirt matches my mask perfectly?” Connor chuckled, still cringing about the kitten. “Yeah, I guess it was. Hang on…” He wiped the kitten’s backside, cleaning the rest of the mess off. The kitten yawned, and Connor went “Awww… it yawned.” Don smiled as he looked back over. “So, do you need to feed it again?” “Yeah, once every three to four hours for a two-week old kitten like this.” He then pulled the warm milk mixture into the syringe, feeding the kitten on its stomach. “Yeah, I can tell this is going to get old pretty quickly. I don’t know how actual parents manage it, with a baby crying and all that bullshit. I vastly prefer this, that’s for sure.” His lover smiled. “Also, do you know if it’s a male or a female?” Connor paused, still slowly pushing formula into the kitten’s mouth. 

“To be honest, I haven’t looked. Getting it warm and fed and cleaned was more important.” Connor held the kitten up, looking at it. “It looks like it is a male. With cats, there’s a way to distinguish. One looks like a colon, one looks like a semicolon.” Don chuckled. “Really? I mean I guess it works, but still.” The kitten signaled it was full, and Connor removed the syringe, setting it on the coffee table. “Can you hold him? I need to put this back in the fridge.” Don chuckled as Connor set the black blob in his hands. “It’s so warm…” “Yeah, that’s why we keep it warm. It normally nested against its mother for three weeks, but I am making do here. It was about to get hypothermic if it was out there for long enough.” He put the emergency formula in the fridge, closing the door. “I’ll wrap him back up, babe.” Connor then sat back on the couch. The turtle handed him the kitten, and Connor wrapped it back up into a little kitten burrito, setting it back down on the heated blanket. “You don’t need to keep a kitten hot, just warm enough to maintain its body temperature. That’s why I’m letting the warmth wick up through its blanket instead of setting it right on the pad.” Don smiled. “That is actually kind of smart… I just find it interesting how your paternal instincts have kicked in so much.” “Yeah that’s true. I don’t know why, but they did. Also, look at this little guy.” The kitten was calmed down after the last round of food, starting to quietly purr. “Aww…” Connor was starting to tear up. “The thing is purring.” Don smiled, hugging his lover. “The kitten will be fine. You’re doing a great job.” Connor nodded. “I’m trying. Now, once that thing goes to sleep, we can go upstairs and get some actual sleep. On the couch is fine and all, but I was getting cramped up there.” 

The turtle smiled. “Of course we can. Will he be good for these next few hours?” Connor looked at the kitten, listening. “It’s asleep, so it will be alright. I still have to take it to a vet in the morning. Would you mind giving me a ride to wherever?” Don shook his head. “Anything I can do to help, babe.” “I need to also look up vets too, find the best one in Manhattan. There has to be some shady ass vets, and I don’t want to go to one of those.” His lover chuckled. “I trust you… anyway, want to get upstairs?” Connor nodded. “Lead the way, babe.” Don smirked grasped his lover’s hand, pulling him up the stairs. The human laughed. “If you’re that eager to go back to sleep, babe… Damn I’m trying not to bust my ass here.” The turtle shook his head. “I’m sorry, babe.” The two then ducked into their room while the human chuckled. Connor closed his door and stripped off his jeans, changing into a pair of sweatpants. Don was already on the bed, taking his gear off. Connor sat down, taking his glasses and watch off. He laid down, and Don did so about seven seconds later. Connor wrapped his arm around his lover, grinning. “I love you so much, babe.” Don chuckled as he pulled his lover closer. “I love you too. Goodnight for now, huh?” “Yeah, for now anyway. That damn kitten will be fucking my sleep up for the next three weeks. But that’s alright, I signed up for it.” Don smiled. “Yeah, you did. But for now, we can get up at seven and be fine.” 

Connor sighed as he turned the sheet around them. It was going to be a long day, that was for sure. At least he had help in doing so, from the turtle right next to him and everyone else in the family, for that matter. Don rubbed Connor’s shoulder, pretty much reading his lover’s mind. “It’ll all be alright, babe. I promise.” Connor turned his head around and smiled. “If you’re saying that, I guess I must hold it as fact. I just have a lot on my mind right now, those desks…” Wait, oh shit. I need to lay another coat of varnish on those damn things, so they will be dry at like ten tomorrow.” Don laughed and shook his head. “Alright, I’ll be here.” Connor smiled as he left the room, and the turtle just continued to laugh. That was a very Connor-esque thing to do, so it didn’t surprise him any. If the night ended in comedy instead of disbelief, that was a great note to end on, in the turtle’s opinion. Even if his boyfriend happened to hop out of bed to put varnish on desks…


	13. Assimilation

RECOMMENDED LISTENING:  
Hotel California - The Eagles  
One of those songs everyone has to listen to at least twenty times. Everyone also has their different take on it, from a general view of the Californian culture at the time to thinking it is a mental asylum. Only a few songs have influenced culture to the scale that this one has.

Billie Jean - Michael Jackson  
The King of Pop at his finest. It’s pretty much heresy if you don’t like MJ, so there’s that. 

Tonight (I’m Lovin’ You) - Enrique Iglesias, Ludacris  
I think the clean version of this song is better, which is weird. Normally, I’m all for dirty versions, but eh. When this song was on the radio (eight years ago?!? Damn!), I was blasting it.

* * *

* * *

Sunday, February 4, 2018, 7:06 AM

* * *

Don opened his eyes. His internal alarm had been going off for a couple of minutes, but his lover was still snuggled against him. Kitten or not, when the two slept together it was special every time. He squeezed Connor a bit, trying to wake him up. After about fifteen seconds, Connor’s eyes opened. “What, what?” Don chuckled. “It’s seven, and you need to feed the kitten again.” The human exhaled. “Damnit. Fine. I’m up, I’m up, shit. That fucking thing had better be happy I’m feeding it. When we get downstairs could you make me some coffee, at least?” Don laughed. “Wow, you’re miserable in the real mornings, huh? Sure I can, babe.” Connor sat up, cracking his back. Don looked over and was confused. “Why did you crack your back? You looked comfortable.” Connor chuckled. “I was, but you need to remember my back is fucked up. Sometimes I sleep one way or sit one way, and it pulls on a muscle in a weird way. Not often, but when it happens it kind of sucks. I’m probably grabbing some ibuprofen on my way out too.” Don nodded. “That’s fine, you know where it is.” Connor smiled as he leaned back over, putting his head on his lover’s plastron. “I love you, babe.” Don grinned. “I love you too. Now, let’s start getting some things done, huh?” 

Connor whimpered as he sat back up, standing up. “I did want to keep laying on you, though.” Don chuckled. “I know. Come on, babe. I didn’t know having to drag you out of this room would be so hard.” Connor laughed as he walked out of the door. “What again?” Don growled as he got up, intercepting his lover in the hallway. He then grasped Connor, giving him a kiss. “You’re so devious, I love it.” The human grinned. “Aww, thanks babe. How about you go downstairs and get that coffee so I don’t rip anyone’s face off today.” Don smiled. “What do you want in it?” “That hazelnut flavored creamer stuff you have in the fridge will work.” The turtle nodded before he went down the stairs. Connor went into the lab, finding the bottle with the ibuprofen in it. He took three of the pills, holding them in his hand as he went back out of the lab and down the stairs. 

Connor sat at the dining room table, sighing. “I generally don’t like taking pills dry, but here we are.” Don chuckled. “You can’t wait for the coffee?” “Nope. Plus, it’s easy enough to do, just takes longer.” He then put one pill into his mouth, slowly swallowing it. Before he could take the second pill, however, Don put the creamed coffee in front of his lover. “Now, you can’t say I didn’t help you.” Connor chuckled. “When have I ever said that? Oh, I think Leo is gone, by the way. He said he would meet with Usagi at eight, and you know how he is about time.” Don laughed. “45 minutes early is just on time. But, it does make sense though. Think about it. Leo and Usagi not seeing each other for four months. I think that extra time is needed.” Connor snorted a bit as he started to drink his coffee, dropping the last two pills down his throat. “Least they’re getting it out of the way now… also this may sound kind of insensitive, but do you think Leo is top or bottom?” Don laughed before pausing to think. “To be honest, I think they’re where we are. Doesn’t really matter, just depends on the situation. Although I doubt Leo is as kinky as either of us could possibly be. He’s vanilla in every way and shape.” 

Connor nodded. “I mean, that makes sense. Anyway, just thought I’d ask. Wondered if Leo was some kind of power bottom with a kink for sadism or something.” Don laughed. “No, I’d worry if Raph was closer to that, taking it out on someone for pleasure instead of some thug in the street.” The human held a finger up. “It wouldn’t really be taking it out on someone, it would be making someone take him. Big difference. Plus, he’s straight anyway, so of course he’s going to be the top.” Don chuckled. “So, do you have to feed the kitten again soon?” Connor nodded. “Yeah, but this last one can wait a little bit, since the vet needs to check the little guy out. I’m still lost on a name for it.” The turtle leaned over onto his lover’s shoulder. “We can come up with one soon enough… anyway that thing probably needs fed before we go to the vet.” Connor nodded. “Can you pop the formula in the microwave while I get my coffee finished? Thirty seconds is enough.” Don nodded as he went into the fridge, grabbing the plastic cup of emergency formula. Connor chugged down the rest of the coffee in the mug, keeping it on the table as he got up. “Also, I’m getting another cup in a little bit, so don’t put that in the sink.” Don chuckled. “Alright, babe. Whatever you say.” The microwave beeped, and Don pulled the cup out of the oven. “Should I stir this up?” Ripping a paper towel off the roll, Connor shook his head. “I’ll stir it up with the syringe.” He then took the cup and the towel, heading into the living room. 

The kitten was still wrapped up in its blanket, kept warm by the heating pad. Connor set the supplies on the coffee table, slowly picking up the black cat. He started to unwrap it, slowly waking it up. Its gray eyes finally opened, and Connor smiled. “Hey there little guy. You hungry?” The kitten meowed, as if it was replying to the human. Connor chuckled as he swirled the formula around in the cup, dipping the syringe in and drawing a healthy amount into the vial. The kitten looked like it was ready to be fed, mewling a bit. The human held its head, letting it get in position. He slowly pushed, letting the kitten drink the mixture. Connor just looked at the kitten with a blank face. He was thinking about the kitten, not how it was drinking the formula right now, but just the events that led up to this.

Don looked over and his face dropped a bit. “Are you okay, babe?” Connor nodded, snapping out of the thoughts. “I’m fine.” He then took the syringe out of the kitten’s mouth, since it was full. “I was just thinking about this. I found a kitten in a dumpster, and here I am feeding it, getting attached to it like it’s my own child. It’s weird.” Don smiled. “I thought of that a little bit when you were out, but less like a child, and more like a lover.” Connor’s eyes widened. “That early? Damn, babe… least you didn’t start fucking with me until I was awake, heh.” Don chuckled. “Yeah, I’m glad I didn’t either. Anyway, don’t you need to stimulate that little guy?” Connor looked down and laughed. “Yeah, I do. I just forgot, whoops.” He grabbed the paper towel and started rubbing it on the kitten, making it go to the bathroom. Don chuckled. “How much longer would you have to be doing that?” “I hope a little longer than a week. Apparently, it’s the time to litter train them at three to four weeks ish. Also, god, I sound like a mother talking about her newborn baby…” The turtle grinned. “You do, but that shows you really researched and are really taking care of this little thing.” 

Connor paused, nodding. “That’s true. Anyway, this little guy is ready to go, I’m going to wrap him back up and put him back on the pad, because the place opens at eight, and I need to call them before we leave.” Don nodded. “Also, I think calling Leo would be a good idea before we left.” Connor held up a finger before pulling out his phone. He called the blue-banded turtle, putting his phone to his ear. Leo picked up almost instantly in reflex. “What’s wrong?” Connor laughed. “Nothing’s wrong. I was just going to tell you that we woke up and I fed the kitten again. I’m going to call the vet at eight and make my way there soon after. Where are you with Usagi?” “Well, I’ve been with him here for about five minutes. I was just talking to some of the guys in the Force.” Connor smiled. “Alright, have fun. We will meet you when we get back from the vet.” Leo nodded. “Update us when you get back.” “Alright, will do. Talk to you later.” “Goodbye, Connor.” The human then hung up the phone, smiling. “Leo will meet us when we get back from the vet… Man I hope this little guy will be okay. I know he’s probably going to be a little dehydrated and a little worn out, but I hope there’s nothing major wrong with him.” Don rubbed Connor’s shoulder. “With how you have been taking care of him, I think he will be perfectly fine. One quick question though, is that formula stuff you made supposed to be permanent?” 

Connor shook his head. “That was an emergency formula, if you need to make something for a kitten and can’t get the proper replacement product. Since it was midnight, I did what I could. Real kitten formula is kind of like baby formula, a powder that mixes with water and you feed them that. But I had Mikey make an emergency version that works well enough, provided you keep it to less than a twenty-four-hour stint*. It’s kind of like eating bread and water. It works for nutrition, but it’s not the best long-term, especially for something as young as this one.” Don nodded. “You really put some thought into all of this, huh? I would have just let it drink milk like straight out of the fridge, which I bet isn’t good.” Connor shook his head. “Felines are lactose intolerant, plus it needs to be warmed up to their body temperature. Plus, there’s not enough protein and sugar in regular milk for nutrition in any form. Real kitten formula is mostly casein, mixed with sugar and other ingredients. It’s kind of like Raph’s protein powder shit, but made for little cats instead of people who body build.” Don chuckled as he leaned against Connor, who was wrapping the little kitten back up. “I love you, babe. I love the little kitten too… and you are right, we need to find a name for it. I guess maybe we could put names into a hat and you pick which one you like most?” Connor smiled. “That sounds like a great idea, babe. Maybe when Usagi gets here and settled in, he can join that too. Anyway, I think we should start packing him up, it’s about to be eight.” 

The turtle nodded. “I think you should call that place, there has to be someone there by now who could make us a quick emergency appointment.” Connor nodded as he looked up the specific vet. “Alright, here we go, I’m calling now.” The phone rung three times, and a woman picked up on the other side. “This is the Manhattan Veterinary Group, we are currently not open right now.” Connor smiled. “I know that, but I would like to schedule an emergency appointment as soon as possible.” “Okay, I can do that with some quick details. Can you give me a quick rundown?” Connor chuckled. “Last night I was outside, and I found a little kitten in a dumpster.” “In a dumpster? Did you see its mother or any other kittens around?” “I am afraid I did not. But I took it home, and started to take care of it. I have fed it some emergency formula and cleaned it up a bit, but I would like to come in to check to really make sure this little thing is healthy.” The woman sighed. “Well, we are open at eight, and I think I can pencil you in before any of our appointments. When can you be here?” “In ten minutes if absolutely necessary. I live on 52nd, so it’s not that far of a drive.” “Alright, if you can make it here before eight thirty, I will gladly help you out. I’m the only one here this morning, so that is not an issue. My job is to help animals, and you have a good case on your hands there. What is your name, by the way sir?” “My name is Connor Denton. Do you need me to spell that?” “No, but is your name with an E or an O?” “O. Thank you for asking, by the way. What is your name, ma’am?” “Sarah Whitfield.” Connor chuckled. “I guess I will see you in ten to fifteen minutes, Sarah.” “Alright, that sounds great. Thank you for calling, by the way.” “No problem. Alright, well I’m off. See you soon.” Connor then hung up the phone, rushing up the stairs. 

Don shook his head at the antics before he called up the stairs. “Do I need to move this little thing?” “No, just keep it right there. I’m going to put him in my jacket to keep him warm, still in the blanket. You might want to grab your coat and get in the Escort so it can be a little warm before I get in.” Don got up off the couch, following the borderline orders. He threw on his trench coat and patted its pockets. “Where are your keys?” “I have them, hang on.” Connor poked himself out of their room, tossing the keys to his lover. Don smiled. “Alright, don’t take too long now.” Connor chuckled as he went out of their room. “You think I will? Anyway, please do get up there. I need to make sure this guy is all set and all. Oh shit, you might need to turn on your human generator, because I think you are coming in with me…” Don nodded. “Alright, I guess I’m going to need a shirt and some pants too, then. Could have told me earlier.” “Sorry, babe.” 

Connor then went down the stairs, sitting on the couch. He zipped his jacket up partway, so he could see the kitten when it was in his little pouch. He carefully picked up the kitten, careful to make sure the fleece blanket was wrapped around it. The kitten woke up, meowing as Connor tucked him into his jacket. “It’ll be alright, little guy. You can sleep in the car if you really want to.” The kitten meowed again as Connor petted his head. The human then stood up, carefully holding the kitten in the same place. He went carefully up the stairs, trying to not jostle the kitten too much. He pushed the button for the elevator, and the doors opened. Getting in, he closed the doors and waited for the metal box to hurtle itself up. The kitten started meowing, and Connor started to coo again. “It’ll be okay, buddy. This is an elevator, it feels weird, I know.” He then rubbed the kitten’s head, and it started to calm back down. Connor started to think. “Is this a part of his personality, or is it just a comfort thing?” While he pondered that question, the doors to the garage opened. 

The human walked in, first looking at his desks. They were almost dry, so sometime later he had to move them into his new workshop. But that wasn’t the priority. Opening the passenger’s door of his car, Connor got in still holding the kitten against his chest. He closed the door and put his seat belt on. Don looked over and smiled. “You ready?” Connor nodded before he looked over, and he jumped. “Holy shit, you scared me. I forgot you had your human generator on…” Don started laughing. “You still not used to me looking like a human?” Connor shook his head. “You’re a turtle, not a human. Sorry.” His lover just continued to laugh as he put the car into Reverse, backing out of the lift bay. “How’s he doing?” 

“He’s alright. He was whining a bit in the elevator, though. I guess he wasn’t used to the sensation. But I rubbed his head a bit, and he calmed down.” Don chuckled as he pulled out of the garage, onto the street. “You really do sound like a father. I kind of like it, but I kind of don’t. Mostly because I don’t see you as the fatherly type. Maybe because Splinter was the only sort of father figure I have had.” After Don stopped speaking however, Connor gasped. “Ow, ow, ow fuck. Claws, little guy.” His lover smiled again. “Yeah, cats have those. Is he still okay?” Connor looked down and petted the little kitten. “He’s still alright. Thanks for asking, though.” “No problem. Now, let’s get there, huh?” “That sounds like a great idea.” Connor grabbed a hair tie out of the cupholder, whipping his hair into a quick bun. If the kitten used the claws any more, more hair would be in the kitten’s grasp than hanging from his head.

Twelve minutes later, Don pulled the Escort to the side of 80th Street. “We’re here, babe,” Connor commented as he rubbed the kitten in his jacket. Don smiled as he turned the car off, handing the keys to Connor. The human popped his door open, swinging his legs out before pulling himself out. The kitten meowed as he pulled himself up, and Connor smiled. “It’ll be alright, buddy. We’re here.” He closed the door gently, getting on the sidewalk. Don joined him on the sidewalk, holding out his hand. Connor held the hand with his left, and the two walked toward the vet’s office. “Manhattan Veterinary, we’re here babe. Connor looked at his watch. It was 8:03. Just in time. He pulled the door open, and the vet behind the desk smiled. “Are you Connor?” “I am, are you Sarah?” Sarah chuckled. “Yes, I am. So, where’s our little kitten?” “It’s in my jacket. Is there anywhere I can set it down?” Sarah nodded. “Come into the back. Also, who is this with you? I thought you would be here alone.”

Don chuckled. “I’m his boyfriend. I’ve also been a part of this whole ordeal too, cause he had to wake up at 3 in the morning to feed this little thing…” Sarah laughed. “That’s kittens for you.” She then opened a door, leading into an exam room. “Set it down there, I’ll grab a couple of supplies.” Connor nodded as he took the meowing kitten out of his jacket, unwrapping it from the blanket. “It’ll be okay, little thing. I promise.” The kitten tried to walk, but he wobbled about. Sarah came back in with some basic exam tools. “I can tell you know about caring for kittens, so please lay it on me.” Connor chuckled. “So, I found him in a dumpster last night. I heard him crying, so I lifted the lid, and oh look there was a kitten. I didn’t see a mother or a sibling, so I’m afraid he was orphaned. I took him home in my jacket, trying to keep him warm. I know kittens don’t regulate their body temperatures, so I tried. I don’t know how long he was out there, but he was definitely cold.” Sarah nodded. “You are correct in all of that.” She lifted the kitten up and chuckled. “You figured it out correctly, this kitten is a male. So, what about feeding? I heard you mention emergency formula.” Connor nodded. “Well, it was about midnight when I got home with him. I cleaned him neck-down using dish soap, and then completely dried him off. Then after stimulating him, I mixed up some emergency formula using condensed milk, egg, and corn syrup. I knew it wasn’t the best option, but it was the only option until I could get some KMR or something. He has had about thirty milliliters of that mixture in total, mixed with water of course.” 

Sarah smiled. “You really do know what you are doing, I can commend you on that. Have you ever cared for little kittens like this?” Connor shook his head. “No, but you can guess where I probably got the information.” Sarah paused. “Did you look up the Kitten Lady on YouTube?” “Ding ding ding.” Don chuckled. “I was surprised too. I thought he knew nothing about this sort of thing, but here he is feeding a kitten with a syringe.” Sarah smiled again. “So, today I’m just going to check him over, give him a blood test, and treat him for basic parasites, like every kitten. He doesn’t look sick or anything, so that is great.” She started to feel around the kitten with a pensive look on her face. “Nothing feels broken with him, this is just a normal two-week-old kitten to me. He is a little underweight though, which makes complete sense with how you found him.” Connor sighed, chuckling. “Phew, I thought I screwed up somewhere.” Sarah shook her head. “Hang on, I will be right back.” Connor looked over to Don, who shrugged. 

A couple of minutes later, the woman came in with a handful of products. “I have a few gifts for you. I think you would be able to recognize them, Connor.” She handed him a bottle, a nipple kit, and a can. “You got me all these feeding supplies plus some KMR?” Sarah nodded. “All on the house. For all you have done so far, I can trust you know what you’re doing with those. So, let me draw some blood from this little guy, and I’ll run it in our little lab. Any suspicions before we start?” Connor paused. “Maybe some mild anemia for the non-existent diet he has gotten, to be honest. I wouldn’t be surprised if that showed up.” Sarah nodded. “That sounds about right to me. This will take about ten minutes.” Connor nodded. “That will be fine, thank you.” Sarah smiled as she left the room, and Don smiled. “Can I hold the kitten?” “I don’t know why you couldn’t…” Connor then picked up the kitten, handing him to Don. The disguised turtle went “aww” as the little kitten meowed. His lover smiled. “I’m just still thinking about the irony of this whole situation. Think about it. I found this kitten in a dumpster, you guys found me in the sewers.”

Don chuckled. “Maybe it’s a reciprocating thing, I don’t know. What I do know though is that Usagi will be in the lair when we get back. What do you think about that?” Connor smiled. “He sounds cool, I can’t wait to meet him. If Leo of all people loves someone, you know that person has been vetted in every way humanly possible to the tenth degree.” Don laughed. “That is true. But Usagi is a great guy. I wasn’t too keen on him at first, but we were in a battle together and that pretty much cemented it.” Connor nodded. “Did you know I’m going out with him today?” Don shook his head. “Why?” “Well, to assimilate him a bit better. Leo asked me if I could go with him to get a more modern wardrobe for him, and he also asked me to teach him the history of our world, focusing on Japan and America. What do you think about that?” Don chuckled. “He will have a lot of questions, so be prepared for that. But otherwise that sounds like a smart idea. He really doesn’t know much about our world in that sense outside of us and our enemies and allies and such. And food. He knows quite a bit about modern food.” Connor laughed. “I know that much.” 

Right before Don was about to speak, Sarah knocked on the door. “I have the little guy’s results in. Connor, you were bang on the money. He is anemic to a minor level, but the rest of his blood markers check out. Also, I have a couple of printouts, showing both that and a little bit of advice. I have a list of supplies you need to pick up, like a play pen and a heating disc, etcetera. Basic stuff. Also, I have another list of the treatments he has to take over the next year in a veterinarian level, so there’s that too. I laid out all of his treatments and vaccines and things on there.” Connor smiled. “Thank you so much for all of this. You are a lifesaver.” Sarah shook her head. “I think you are in this instance. You are both free to go, because this visit with us here is free. Oh, hang on.” Sarah slinked out of the room, going back in with three vials in her hand. “On the sheet with “parasites” labeled every two weeks, mix one of these into his food. By the six-week mark, he should already be weaned, but you know that.” Connor smiled as he took the vials, putting them in his jacket pocket. “Thank you for everything, Sarah. Come on babe, let’s go shopping. Don groaned. “Shopping. Ugh.” “It’s for the kitten, not you babe.” Sarah laughed. “Have a good day!” Connor waved through the door as the two walked out onto the sidewalk, with Don still holding the kitten. 

The two got back into Connor’s car, and Don handed him the kitten. Connor smiled. “Thanks, babe.” He then started to wrap the kitten back up in its blanket, chuckling. He then held it against his chest. Don just leaned over onto the human’s shoulder, wrapping his arm around Connor. “I love you, babe.” “I love you too. Now, let’s get to a Petco or something so this little guy can be happy.” Don chuckled. “Alright. I’m starting to feel like a chauffeur here…” The human laughed. “Sorry, babe. I would be driving if I physically could, but I have something here I need to hold.” The turtle then laughed as he pulled out onto the street. “So, I think there’s a pet store somewhere around here, can you check?” Connor nodded as he pulled out his phone. “There’s a Petco on the corner of 87th and Lexington, so a few blocks from here. Says the best way to get there is get onto First and then turn left onto 87th, parking on the street somewhere when we get there.” Don nodded. “Got it. Thank you, babe.” Connor leaned his head on Don’s shoulder. “No problem.” 

Turning left onto First Avenue after about three minutes, Connor smiled. “This kind of reminds me when I was a toddler. I had gotten a double ear infection from swimming in the lake, and my mom was rushing me to the hospital in our ’92 Sunbird, of course in bright blue. She had her hazards on, but the ticking sound was unbearable to me.” His lover looked over, confused. “Double ear infection? That had to be rough.” Connor shook his head. “They gave me some kind of drug that wiped it all out in a day. I don’t know what it was, since I was three years old. Oh, I have something you might want to put into my file.” Don looked over, with a look of suspicion in his eyes. “Which is?” “I’m allergic to penicillin, always have been, always will be. I forgot to mention that.” Don exhaled, smiling. “Well, I’m glad I didn’t inject you with anything relating to penicillin. Is it just that or like the family of drugs around it?” Connor shrugged. “I don’t know, all I do know is I wouldn’t want to fuck with it. But if you ever need to give me an antibiotic, make sure you know that somehow. Also, I have a question.” “Shoot.” “You said you had a database of pretty much every enemy and action and stuff that anyone has done to you guys, do you think I could read over it? I need to learn that shit.” Don nodded. “Maybe tomorrow I will have a chance for you to. It’s all in jargon and acronyms and stuff, though.” Connor laughed. “You think I couldn’t figure it out? I can read medical records and stuff like it’s plain English. Legalese is nothing.” Don chuckled. “Alright, babe. I keep forgetting you’re smart and not just pretending to be. More the opposite, not being all boastful about it.”

Connor chuckled. “It’s alright if you forget, babe. That’s better than if you go ‘Oh, if you’re so smart why did you fuck that up?’ Plus, I’d rather under-promise and over-deliver.” Don smiled. “That sounds like you. Anyway, we’re about to be here, so get the little guy ready to go in.” Connor petted the kitten’s head, and it started to purr from the stimulation. The human’s heart melted. “Awww, he purred again. Aren’t you the cutest little thing, yes you are.” Don tutted. “I thought I was the cutest little thing…” Connor smiled. “You’re the cutest big thing. He’s the cutest little thing. Big difference.” Don shook his head as he pulled to the side of the street, turning the car off. “Well, we’re here babe.” Connor nodded. “Come on, little guy. I’ll let Don carry you while I get a basket, how does that sound? You like him, I know you do.” Don blushed a bit. “It’s alright if he doesn’t, babe. Let’s get in there and get those supplies.” The two then got out of the car, Connor handing the kitten to the disguised turtle. Don chuckled. “You’re going to grow up to be a big, strong cat. Or just a thing that lays on the couch all day and gets petted constantly. Either or, I don’t care.” Connor laughed. “He seems like he’d be more like the latter. Gets that DNA from his father, huh?” Don started laughing as they walked into the pet store. “We don’t quite know yet, though. So, what did Sarah say to get?” Connor pulled the list out of his pocket. “Let’s see. We need to get to the cat section for most of this stuff.” 

Don smiled. “Well, let’s go then. This shopping experience won’t be any faster if we stand here.” Connor started walking backwards, sticking his tongue out at his lover. The disguised turtle grinned. “Just rub it in my face, huh? Alright, I see you.” Connor smiled. “Well, let’s see what we need. Heating pad, bowls, litter box, litter, food, play pen, the basics, really.” Don looked confused. “A play pen?” Connor nodded. “So it can walk around in a little area without me having to worry about where it went. It’s especially useful for small kittens. Oh, I’ll need to get one of those Blender Bottle things online. You think you can figure out why?” Don shook his head. “Tell me, Mister Kitten Whisperer.” Connor laughed. “I’m not an expert, I swear. Anyway, it’s to make slurry, a mixture of formula and kitten food as you wean them.” His lover nodded. “That makes sense, want to ease into the real food.” Connor nodded as he grabbed a pallet of kitten food. “Can’t hurt to have too much, I think. That’s a common theme, I’m afraid.” Don chuckled. “I tend to agree, with a little guy like this I’ll gladly let you overrun the cabinets with his food.” Connor chuckled as he continued to grab supplies off the shelves, carefully considering what would work and what could be upgraded.

About ten minutes later, the two came out of the store with four bags full of different supplies, ranging from wet kitten food to various toys and litter box stuff. “Hey babe, do you mind if I drive home?” Don shook his head. “I’ve been waiting for you to tell me that all morning.” Connor chuckled as he opened the Escort’s rear hatch. Don set his bags in, careful to keep hold of the black kitten that was still in his coat’s pocket. Connor saw the move Don made and grinned. “I guess you care as much about that little guy as I do, huh?” The turtle nodded. “I guess I do, maybe your paternal skills were transferred to me through osmosis or something.” Connor smiled as he got into the driver’s side, adjusting the seat. Don got into the passenger’s side, sighing in relief. “I’m kind of glad that is all over, to be honest. I was worried too, to be honest. Did you have the feeling like your kid was sick and you didn’t know what to do there?” Connor nodded. “Yeah, I guess you could call it that.” He turned on the car, putting it into first gear and slowly getting off the clutch and merging onto Lexington Avenue. Don smiled. “It seems like he’s not too bothered by car rides. That’s good, because it seems most cats hate being in cars.” 

Connor grinned. “It’s especially great, because we love cars. Having him not whine in the back seat will be a great thing.” Don just smiled and looked down at the kitten. “It’s pushing against my hands like it’s trying to squeeze something.” Connor looked down quickly and laughed. “He’s kneading. Kittens do that to their mothers to get more milk, but you can notice it in some when they are completely relaxed.” The turtle smiled. “So, this little guy is like completely chilled out sitting here in my hands? How adorable.” Connor snorted a bit. “Yeah, it’s adorable. I can’t wait to surprise Usagi with a little kitten. I wonder how he would react.” Don paused. “Well, much like this little guy is right now, mewing and squealing and stuff. He may have been a warrior in his previous world, but he will love this little guy.” The human grinned. “I know he will. I also bet he is going to pick the winning name too. I don’t know why, but I can already figure that much out.” Don smiled. “Well, why don’t we find out?” Connor smiled as he continued down Lexington Avenue, looking at the road.

Four minutes later, they pulled into the garage. Connor parked in his lift bay, and Don got out, holding the kitten. “Can you get the bags, babe? I want to wrap him back up in his little blanket before we go down.” Don nodded. “Sure I can, babe. You drove me back, I can get the bags.” Connor smiled as Don handed him the kitten. He went into the back seat for the fleece blanket, and laid it on the roof of the Escort. He folded it into a rectangle and sat the kitten in the middle. Wrapping the blanket around the small cat, he made sure to tuck it in a bit through the top, so it didn’t come undone on the way down. The kitten meowed as that happened, but he started to purr as the blanket was tucked. Connor smiled, ducking into the car for the supplies Sarah gave him. Don was by the elevator, shaking his head at the antics. “Are you coming now, or should I just go down and wait?” Connor laughed. “I’ll be right there.” He took the bag and the kitten, closing his door gently. The kitten purred as Connor held him to his chest, gently rocking him back and forth. 

Don smiled at his lover’s actions, wrapping his arm around Connor before they got into the elevator. Connor piped up. “Uh, babe. You’re still human.” Don looked down and laughed. “That, I am.” He pushed the button on the side of his phone and he went back to his turtle form. The kitten meowed, noticing that. Don sighed, but Connor chuckled. “If that’s all the reaction you get from that, that’s pretty good.” The now-turtle smiled. “I guess so. Anyway, where do you want this stuff?” “I’d like the food stuff in the kitchen, and the other stuff in our room or under a cabinet in the kitchen or something. I need to hold off on most of this stuff until this little guy grows.” The doors opened to the lair, and Mikey called out. “They’re back!” Connor smiled. “Yeah, we are.” 

He dropped his bag of supplies on their bed, and walked down the stairs, kitten in hand. Leo smiled, gesturing toward the human. “So, Usagi, this is Connor.” The human walked into the living room, holding his hand out to the rabbit. Usagi grasped it and shook it, smiling. “So, you’re this mysterious figure that I have heard so much about. Nice to meet you, Connor. I’m Usagi, I think you have heard of me by now.” Connor chuckled and nodded. “That’s an understatement. I’m sorry I couldn’t meet you earlier, I had this little guy to deal with.” Usagi’s eyes widened. “Is that a kitten?” “Yes, it is. Would you like to hold him?” Usagi grinned. “If it is alright with you, of course.” Connor held out the black blob, and the rabbit took him gently. His ears fell, and he smiled. “It’s so small! How old is he?” “He’s about two weeks old, I think sixteen or seventeen days old.” Leo interjected. “So, what did the vet say?” Connor sighed. “He has a clean bill of health. No sorts of parasites on or in him, only common sense stuff. He’s slightly underweight and anemic, due to the diet he probably didn’t get out there.” Leo smiled. “That’s great. You must have felt relieved.” Connor nodded. “Relieved, certainly… I was just worried that he was sick or something and there was nothing I could do. But the vet was surprised too for how well I had cared for him so far. The only problem I have now is that we need to give him a name. I was thinking you all could get some slips of paper and I could read them off, and pick one.” Usagi nodded. “That sounds like a great idea, Connor. I have a couple in mind already.”

Connor smiled. “That’s great. Did Leo tell you of the plans I possibly had for later, Usagi?” The rabbit nodded. “I have no negative thoughts about those plans, but I don’t know what they quite entail…” The human chuckled. “Don’t worry about it. It’s nothing really challenging or anything, just some decision making. Have you ever shopped for clothing before in any manner like we do?” Usagi shook his head. “It’s all new to me.” The human smiled. “Well, there’s a first time for everything. I don’t plan on leaving soon, considering I need to feed that little guy again at ten and do a couple of things around here, if that is alright.” “No, please take your time. I’m not in any sort of rush.” The kitten meowed a bit loudly, and Connor chuckled. “I’m guessing he wants back in his little blanket.” Usagi smiled as he held the kitten out. Connor took it and wrapped it back up, setting him on the heating pad. Rubbing his head, the human continued to smile. “I never knew my paternal instincts would be kicking in so hard, but alas, here they are. This little guy is costing me sleep and some stress, but it’s all worth it.” Raph chuckled as he heard that. “That’s a lotta things in life, just gotta get used to it.” “Oh, don’t I know that one. Anyway, Usagi, am I what you expected?” 

The rabbit started laughing. “You are like the total opposite, to be honest. I noticed you had your hair tied up, how long is it?” “How about I show you?” Connor then pulled on his hair tie, undoing the bun. It dropped down and Usagi gasped. “Wow Leo, you weren’t kidding.” Connor started chuckling as he combed his fingers through his hair. “I get that a lot.” “So, is there a specific reason your hair is long?” Connor shook his head. “Not really. I just don’t think I look all that great with short hair, and it is a bit of a talking point. Speaking of tying things up, is that wrap on your head for your ears?” Usagi nodded. “If I don’t have it, they flop down. They are all... what’s the word…” Connor piped up. “Cartilage?” “Yes, that’s the word. I apologize.” “No need. I can assume Japanese was your main language growing up, and you learned English later.” “Precisely. So, I tie my ears up so they don’t flop around and down when I’m doing things, much like your hair.” The human chuckled. “I also have a way to make your system a little more glamorous, too. So, be prepared for that.” Usagi chuckled. “That is fine, I appreciate it. So, I do need some more clarification on your whole situation with the Hamato family, if that is alright.”

Connor waved his hand in the air. “I will tell you anything you would like to know, just maybe in a bit. Have you eaten anything yet?” Usagi nodded. “Mikey made us a small breakfast while you were still out.” Connor nodded, looking at Mikey. “Thanks for that, making my life a little easier there.” The orange-banded turtle smiled. “You’re welcome, Connor. Where’s Don?” Connor turned around and looked up, not seeing his lover anywhere. “I think he probably ducked into his lab by now…” Mikey laughed. “That sounds like Don.” Connor continued. “So, Usagi, I’ll answer any questions you have when we go out. I think that will be the right time for that sort of thing, if that is alright with you.” The rabbit nodded. “Whatever works for you, Connor. I do have a question though.” “Sure, shoot.” “Leo mentioned your relationship with Don. How did you get into it? It took me three months to tell myself my feelings toward him were alright. Did you have that happen to you?” Connor shook his head. “Honestly, I was completely fine with it right off the bat. Granted, it is strange for a human to date a humanoid turtle, but there are stranger things that have happened before.” Usagi smiled. “Only if I had it that easy on myself…” Leo smiled, leaning over onto the rabbit. “At least that challenge had something good come out of it, and I wouldn’t want it any other way.” The rabbit wrapped his arm around his lover and smiled. “You are right, babe.” Connor paused, before a light bulb lit up in his head.

He stood up, shaking his head. “I have just thought of something, please excuse me.” He then left the living room, going up the stairs. Usagi chuckled. “Is he always that polite?” Leo laughed and shook his head. “Only when he’s with someone he barely knows or is above him. Most of the time, he is swearing like a sailor or being crude for the sake of it. Or being overly affectionate to Don, either or.” Usagi chuckled. “Is that true? He’s being nice so far.” Leo nodded. “Once he gets to know you a bit better, he will open up.” The rabbit laughed. “Dare I say I look forward to it?” Leo laughed after hearing that. “I wouldn’t say that. If he’s angry at anything, he goes into some full-on rage mode. It’s honestly terrifying… his eyes turn red even.” Usagi looked at his lover with a confused expression. “Turn red?” Leo nodded. “His eyes change color in very strong moods apparently. Only one we have found is anger… It’s because of the mutagen I mentioned earlier.” Usagi paused. “But, he’s still human, not some hybrid like you are.” Leo nodded. “Apparently, it didn’t have the mutation effects, or that’s what Don said.” The rabbit nodded. “That makes sense.”

Right after that comment, though, Connor walked out of Don’s lab. He looked down the stairs and smiled toward the rabbit. Going into the living room, the human sat down. “Press the button on the side of your phone twice quickly, Usagi.” The rabbit did so, shifting to the appearance of an Asian man. “I look like a human now!” Connor nodded. “It’s your human generator. It’s especially useful if you’re going to be somewhere with a lot of people, like we will later.” Leo nodded. “We all have one, except Connor of course. He doesn’t need one.” Connor shook his head, laughing. “I feel like I could use one sometimes. You can turn it off, Usagi. Just click it twice again.” The rabbit did so, returning to his normal appearance. “That’s amazing. Thank you.” Connor waved his hand. “You should thank Don. He programmed it into your phone just now.” Usagi nodded. “I will. So, I will look like a human, but what about the clothes I’m going to wear while we are out?” “You can borrow some of mine. They’ll be roughly the same size you need, maybe a bit tighter. It’ll also give me a frame of reference of what sizes you wear.” The rabbit nodded again. “Thank you for that.” “You’re welcome. So, I’m planning to go here in a bit… I need to feed this little guy again and then bring those desks into my workshop.” 

The rabbit looked confused. “Desks?” Connor nodded. “Come with me to the garage and I’ll show you. You too, Leo.” The turtle smiled. “You’re finally letting us see them. How thoughtful.” Connor tutted. “Sorry you guys happen to ruin things, not my fault there.” The three then walked into the elevator, as Connor pressed the button to go up to the garage. Leo hugged his lover, and the human smiled. “You two are great together, I must admit.” The turtle blushed a bit. “Thanks, Connor. I still can’t figure out how you got with Don of all people, voted ‘the most likely to be single’ year after year…” Connor chuckled. “Me either, to be honest. All I do know is that it happens to work for some magical reason.” Usagi laughed. “I am glad it does. Anyway, when does this elevator finally stop going up?” Connor smiled. “Right about… now.” As soon as he said that, the doors opened to the garage. The chemical smell was completely gone, and the varnish on the desks were completely dry. 

Leo just looked at the desks and grinned. “These look great, Connor.” “Thank you. That’s what two days of work does, although that’s mostly the varnish on them. Feel free to touch, they’re finally dry.” The rabbit did so, and he gasped. “It’s so smooth! What did you do to get them to feel this smooth?” “Sanded every surface down, and then three coats of varnish on top for the coating. The sanding was two hours alone, but it turned out great.” Leo chuckled. “You aren’t kidding. So, when are you going to put these downstairs?” “I think I’ll get them after we get back from our little adventure. We need to get back down there anyway, remember. Usagi, you can help me feed the kitten if you want.” The rabbit’s ears perked up. “Really?” Connor nodded. “You can do the actual feeding, I’ll mix up the formula and all of that stuff.” “Oh, okay. I was worried about having to do that.” 

Connor walked into the elevator and chuckled. “Little kittens like that have a specific diet, so I need to make sure it’s all mixed right.” Usagi nodded. “That makes sense. So, I just hold him and give him a bottle?” Connor smirked. “Kind of. I’ll show you when I get to it.” The doors opened to the lair, and the three got out. “So, Usagi, you can get the kitten. He’s still in his blanket wrapped up, be careful to wake him up slowly if he is asleep.” The rabbit saluted as Connor went into the kitchen. He opened the new feeding kit and the KMR that Sarah gave him, mixing the powder and warm water to a 1:2 ratio. He put the mixture into the new bottle, cutting a hole in the tip. He tested the temperature of the formula on his wrist. Nodding, he walked into the living room with the bottle. He handed it to the rabbit and sat down next to him. “So, hold his head up, and then bring the bottle to his mouth slightly dripping. He will latch on, and start swallowing.” The rabbit did so, and the kitten latched onto the bottle, swallowing the formula. “What now?” “Squeeze gently. It’ll make the formula flow out a bit quicker.” Leo looked over and grinned. “I knew he would be a great dad…” Connor laughed. “I can take his kitten feeding privileges back if you want me to.” Leo shook his head while Usagi chuckled. Connor looked down at the kitten again. “He’s done, now for the not-so-fun part.” The human then took two tissues off the coffee table. “I need the little guy now, and preferably some space.” Usagi nodded, holding the kitten out.

Connor took the little kitten, stimulating it to go to the bathroom. All it needed to do was pee, so that was the highlight of that feeding session. As Connor looked around, he noticed the doors to the lab open, and a certain purple-banded turtle emerging from them. He wrapped the meowing kitten back in its blanket, holding him up to his chest. Don came down the stairs, and he smiled at the sight of his lover holding the black blob. “Hey babe, I’m guessing you just fed him?” Connor nodded. “He ate a big meal for such a little guy. That’s a great sign.” The human sat the kitten down on his heating pad, going up to hug his lover. “The human generator worked.” Don smiled. “I heard... Anyway, aren’t you guys going soon, anyway?” Connor nodded again. “In about twenty minutes or so, why?” Don shook his head. “Nothing, just wondering. Do you need to bring those desks down? I can help you with those right now if you want.” The human’s eyes widened. “I was expecting to get them after we came back, but now works. First, let me get some clothes laid out for Usagi.” Don nodded. “Alright, can do babe.” 

Connor looked over to Usagi, gesturing. “Come on, we need to get you some clothes together before we go. The human generator still needs you to wear clothes to work…” Usagi laughed. “I mean, I could be naked… you would like that babe.” Leo laughed. “Maybe in the lair, but not outside. I care about you too much for that.” The rabbit nodded. “Are the clothes in your room, Connor?” The human nodded. “Come on, I’ll show you.” Usagi stood up, smiling. Connor started going up the stairs, the rabbit following. Turning into his room, he started to dig through his drawers. Usagi popped his head in. “Can I come in?” Connor looked at him incredulously. “I tell you to come into our room and you still ask. I mean it’s polite and all, but come the fuck on.” He dragged a pair of blue jeans out of the drawer, setting them on the bed as Usagi sat down. The rabbit looked around the spartan room, smiling. The human was digging through the closet, trying to find a shirt that would match. 

“What color do you want? I have a bit of everything.” Usagi chuckled. “Whatever you want me to wear, I don’t care all that much. Also, what is this on this little table with you and Don?” Connor chuckled as he flicked through the shirts. “Mikey drew that, and the picture next to it. Did Leo tell you about the chase I was in?” “Yes, he did. You must be some crazy driver, teaching them all how to do stunt driving techniques.” The human turned around and put a blue striped sweater on the bed on top of the jeans. “They say I’m kind of superhuman teacher. Also, speaking of, Leo wanted me to teach you the basic history of our world, and I need to learn something about where you came from also, if that’s alright. But, for you to be immersed in a culture, you need to know where it was in the past, if that makes sense.” Usagi nodded. “That does make sense. I think you would have a better grasp of my world than I do yours, though. I’m still kind of lost.” Connor chuckled. “Well, I’m the right person for the job, I think, since I have happened to grow up in modern day America, unlike the turtles, who have had a completely different life than a human would. So, let me grab you a couple of other things.” He dug around his sock drawer, pulling out a pair of black socks and an errant pair of gray boxer briefs. 

He sat those on the bed, and Usagi looked confused. “What are those gray shorts?” Connor chuckled. “They’re underwear. You put them on under a pair of pants. It gives you a bit more support, and it keeps things generally tidier.” The rabbit nodded. “We just don’t have anything like that back home. It’s a great invention, though.” Connor laughed. “If underwear is a great invention, you have much to learn. Anyway, feel free to change. You can stay in here or use the bathroom, doesn’t matter to me.” Usagi stood up, grabbing the small pile of clothes. “Thank you for this, Connor. I appreciate it.” The human waved his hand in the air. “It’s alright, I’ll do anything to help you out.” He turned around to an empty room, and chuckled. He closed the closet and his drawers, and put on his Converses. Lacing them up, he just looked at the nightstand and smiled. The picture of him kissing Don still felt like it was yesterday, with the same feeling portrayed through it. Mikey couldn’t have put the feeling of the scene on paper any better.

Usagi popped his head in, staying silent. He saw that Connor was looking at the drawing still. “You two do love each other, I can tell.” The human chuckled and looked at the rabbit. “Yeah, I love him too much. This drawing just takes me back to that time… it feels great. Anyway, you’re all changed. You look great, by the way.” Usagi smiled. “Thank you. So, I need some shoes, and I don’t know what size I am…” Connor paused. “Well, you can try a pair of my shoes on to see if they fit, and if they don’t, I think the turtles have some different pairs of shoes that are probably a bit bigger. Sit down and I will grab my boots.” Connor reached over and grabbed his work boots. Usagi looked confused. “What do you have those for?” “Well, I had a job at a tire shop, and I had to wear these every day. Have you worn shoes before?” Usagi nodded. “A more traditional type. But I normally wear what you would call sandals every day.” Connor tutted a bit. “I’m afraid those really won’t work in New York of all places. So, see if you can even fit in those.” Usagi slipped the boot on, wincing a bit. “It feels like my toes are crushed in the end… but the width is surprisingly fine.” Connor chuckled. “Alright, take it off. I’ll see if there are any more shoes you could try.” 

The rabbit smiled before Connor walked out of the room. He walked down the half to the storage closet where the turtles kept their disguises. He picked up a pair of size ten boots, a pair of size twelve tennis shoes, and a pair of size thirteen boots. He then took those back to his room. Usagi looked up and chuckled. “So, you did have more.” Connor nodded. “So, for reference, I wear a size eight. I have a pair of tens, twelves, and thirteens right here. Try each one, and I’ll feel where your toe lands in each one.” Over the next three minutes, Usagi tried each pair. The size ten was still a bit too small, and the thirteen was way too big. The twelve was just about right, but it still was a bit small. “So, Usagi, your size is an eleven or an eleven and a half. Keep that in mind.” “I already do. So, can I wear these twelves for right now?” Connor nodded. “They fit you the best out of anything we have, so there’s that. So, let’s get going, huh?” The rabbit smiled. “That sounds like a great plan, Connor.” The human smiled as he stood up. He put on his jacket and grabbed his wallet, phone, and keys. Usagi looked confused. “We’re driving?” Connor nodded. “It’s the quickest way around the city, even if it doesn’t feel like it at times. I’ll meet you in the garage.” The rabbit nodded as Connor got into the elevator. 

The doors opened a minute later, and Connor froze. “Fuck, I forgot about the desks. Damnit.” He shook his head as he walked toward his car, unlocking it with the key and getting in the driver’s side. He leaned over and pulled the lock pin on the passenger’s door before sitting back upright and turning the ignition on. He turned the stereo on, but didn’t play any music yet. The elevator dinged and Usagi started walking toward the faded red econobox. He opened the door and got in, freezing when the automatic seat belt slid back. “What was that?” Connor laughed. “It’s your seat belt. In older cars like this, the seat belts do that. But, look down to your right, that’s the lap part of it.” Usagi nodded as he grabbed the lap belt, sliding it across himself and buckling it. “So, you have a license and all?” Connor looked incredulously again at Usagi. “Remember, I am a human. We can earn the privilege to drive legally… Speaking of human, you might want to turn your human generator on.” Usagi chuckled as he turned it on. “Are you going to drive like a stunt driver?” Connor shook his head. “There’s a time and place for everything, and this isn’t one. I’m just going to drive normally.” Usagi sighed. “Thank you. I don’t want to be throwing up.” “That’s something you and Leo share. He doesn’t really like being in a car that is in any sort of exaggerated maneuver unless he has to. But I promise I’ll be smooth.” 

The human then started his car, putting it into reverse. He eased off the clutch slowly, backing out of the lift bay and easing out of the garage. Usagi was confused. “When I went back down to the living room, Mikey said I looked like a character named Buster. What does that mean?” Connor busted out laughing as he stopped at the traffic light on 1st Avenue. “Open your phone and look up ‘Buster from Arthur’.” Usagi did so, and he chuckled. “That is pretty true. Did you mean to do that?” “No! It’s just a coincidence you look like a fictional rabbit from a children’s TV show… Anyway, would you mind if I played some music? I was thinking songs that pretty much define our culture in one way or another.” Usagi smiled. “That sounds great.” Connor flipped through his phone, pressing play on “Hotel California”. The rabbit leaned back, taking in the music. Connor eased into the intersection, getting into the left turn lane immediately after. Turning up the stereo, Connor chuckled. Usagi looked over and smiled. “What’s funny?” “Nothing really, just me thinking.” 

The rabbit leaned back again, listening to the song. The music was very different to what he had been accustomed to in his home world. “Music from back home was quite different than what you have in this world, that’s for sure. This also sounds like it’s not quite new, when did this song come out?” Connor shrugged. “I don’t know, sometime in the late sixties to the early seventies. Its genre is classic rock, although classic really extends to about 1982 or so.” Usagi nodded. “I do like your world’s music, though. There is so much variety! Do you think you can go through some other songs that are a bit different?” Connor grinned. “That is like my specialty. I know probably tens if not hundreds of genres of music, so finding something you will like won’t be too difficult. I doubt you’re that picky, though. Don only listens to classic rock like this pretty much, and I listen to about everything, as does Raph. Let me switch the song real quick.” He flicked through his phone at the next red light, turning on some Michael Jackson. “This is like 1980s pop music, and the artist, Michael Jackson, is one of the most influential songwriters of this century, hailed as the King of Pop.” 

Usagi smiled. “It does seem you know a lot about music. Did you get it from anyone in particular, or just over time?” “A bit of both. My dad is a major music buff too, but only for certain genres, especially jazz. However, over the years, I have just soaked in this stuff. That goes for pretty much anything, like cars or food or anything on this planet, really.” The rabbit looked over in astonishment. “No one even mentioned to me how smart you were. That’s interesting.” Connor chuckled. “I’m glad they didn’t, because I don’t like to flaunt it." Usagi nodded before continuing. "Also, this Jackson guy’s music is quite interesting.” The human smiled. “Yeah, he’s interesting for sure. As with any famous person, he has had his share of scandals. But he died in 2009, because his doctor fucked up and made him overdose. It wasn’t great, everyone who ever listened to his music ever felt terrible. Anyway, can you look up somewhere to park around here? We are going to be in one of the most densely populated parts of Manhattan, and I doubt street parking even exists.” Usagi chuckled. “Yeah, that seems like a problem. Where do you want me to look?” “Anywhere around 33rd or 34th Streets, around 5th and 6th Avenue.” The rabbit nodded as he tapped around his phone. “All of the parking garages are like thirty dollars an hour.” Connor cringed at that. “You know what, I’ll find some street parking somewhere. Fuck it.” The rabbit laughed at the sentiment. 

Connor drove around Midtown for a bit, before going “Hahaha, there’s a spot. Fuck you, I’m taking it!” He quickly stopped, putting the Escort into reverse and parallel parking in the decently tight spot. The rabbit was surprised. “This is awfully close, Connor.” The human shook his head. “It’s actually pretty good, I can get out of here without having to back up.” He then shut the car off, unbuckling his seat belt. “So, the places we want to go are about two blocks from here. We can walk, it’s exercise.” Usagi chuckled as he opened the door. Connor piped up. “Can you lock your door? Push that little pin on the top down.” The lock mechanism clunked, and Usagi shut the door. Connor did the same, closing the driver’s door. He got on the sidewalk and chuckled. “Alright, which store do you want to go to first? I plan on going to like three and one shoe store.” Usagi chuckled. “Surprise me.” Connor chuckled. “Alright. Also, don’t worry about the money. I’m not hurting for it, I’m prepared to spend.” Usagi nodded. “I’ll keep that in mind. So, what do you plan on getting me?” “Whatever you want. Consider this like a shopping spree. I will guide you, but this is all your fashion and you dictating these decisions, not me. If you want to wear shorts in 10-degree weather, that’s all you. Just don’t complain when you’re cold.” The rabbit started laughing. “Okay, I choose what I want, but you say if it doesn’t make sense or looks stupid.” “Deal.” 

The two then walked across the street under Connor’s direction, heading to the cluster of stores on 34th Street. Usagi was slack-jawed in amazement. “Look at all of this, it’s amazing.” Connor smiled. “I did that the first day I was out here too. It’s totally different than back home, huh?” The rabbit nodded. “What is it like back where you are from?” Connor paused to think. “Well, do you know the state of Georgia?” “Down near the south of the US?” “Exactly. Atlanta is the major city in the state, you probably know where that is. But, I lived an hour outside the city. It was like… where everyone flocked to live but they all commute to work.” Usagi nodded. “I understand that. Was there anything noteworthy of where you are from?” Connor shook his head. “Just a bunch of neighborhoods with two hundred thousand-dollar homes and down. If you could imagine like an average neighborhood with sidewalks and the nosy neighbor, that’s pretty much it. I didn’t live in a neighborhood, though. I lived on the side of a road, which isn’t really all that different. How about we do some shopping, and I’ll explain where I’m from whenever you ask about something a little more specific.” Usagi chuckled. “Let me guess, you need more specific questions to fully develop an answer on.” Connor nodded. “Exactly. Duck into this Macy’s right here.” 

The rabbit did so, walking into the confines of the department store. Connor just chuckled. “Welcome to modern America.” The rabbit smiled. “So, where are we going?” “Wherever the men’s section is. I have no idea where that is though, let’s follow the signs.” The two then walked through the store, before going up to the second level. The human chuckled. “Looks like we are here. Feel free to look around, I’m just here for moral support.” Usagi laughed. “And monetary support.” “That too. First, we need to get you some jeans. How are the ones you got on fitting right now?” “The waist is a bit tight, and the legs are a bit short for me.” Connor nodded. “I can guess your size right now. They have fitting rooms somewhere, so if the size is off, you can try them before you buy.” Connor walked to the jean section, looking through the options. “What colors do you want? They have anything from a light blue, to a black like I have on right now.” Usagi paused to think. “Can I have a sort of spectrum?” “Sure, of course you can. Let me see if they have your size in some of these options. Also, remember that we have more stores we can try if you don’t like what they have here.” The rabbit nodded. “Alright, alright. I get it. You’re like Leo, constantly beating something in. I mean, he’s great and all, but it gets old, sorry.” 

Connor chuckled. “Sorry. Just look around. I think your size is a thirty by thirty-four. Also, I have a question while you look around, if you don’t mind.” “Sure, what is it?” “How did you even meet the brothers? I just can’t figure out how a rabbit from an alternate world that happens to be feudal Japan came to meet a clan of turtles from modern New York.” Usagi laughed. “Well, it’s a bit of a complicated story. Mind if I shorten it a bit?” “Sure.” “There was this tournament called the Battle Nexus. Basically, it was a fight of all these warriors from different worlds together. I was in it, along with all of the Hamato family. However, things got a little complicated. After the first tournament, the dimensions were starting to fight against each other. The tension was also starting to be felt by my world as well. You need to remember that this tournament was an annual occasion. Last year, the Nexus was a bit of a mess, hence why they cancelled it from now on… Fighters started to cheat and take grudges in their personal lives.” Connor nodded. “Continue.” “And, also, in my home world, our enemy, Lord Hebi, had started to strengthen his army. Do you know what a ronin is?” “A masterless samurai.” “Exactly. I was a ronin, but I was still roughly aligned with Hebi’s nemesis, Lord Noriyuki. The fighting between the two started to grow in strength and I did not want to get involved at all. I still had a code of honor to follow, but that dictated that if I were masterless, I would not need to die for any specific party. Leo told me when he left the Nexus last year that if anything was to go wrong in my world, I could find refuge in yours.”

Connor looked like a light bulb went off in his head. “So, you figured out a way to get to our world, and the Force took you in.” Usagi nodded. “Temporarily, yes. They didn’t ask of much, just that I would help them out in battle and other small things. There is one small detail, though. Prior to all of this, Leo was in my world for about six months. Splinter had sent him to find something in himself, I can’t find the word for it in English on the top of my head.” “That’s alright. So, you guys happened to fall in love, but you couldn’t go home with him quite yet. That’s why he had such a short fuse like Don told me about, until you showed up.” The rabbit nodded. “That’s it, really. Four months later, I moved into the lair and met you, and now we’re here in a store shopping.” Connor laughed before Usagi continued. “So, I’m going to get a couple of pairs of jeans here, and I noticed a couple of shirts I liked. What size is this shirt?” “A small, usually marked with an S.” “Alright, I guess I need to find Small sized shirts. Is there some kind of price limit I should keep in mind?” Connor paused. “About twenty-five bucks each, if you can stay under that I would appreciate it.” Usagi nodded as he flicked through shirts on a rack, grabbing a couple of patterned button-downs. “I like these. What kind of situations do you wear these in?” Connor looked at the shirts and smiled. “Those are pretty versatile. You can dress them down with a pair of jeans, or dress them up with a pair of slacks and a tie.” 

The rabbit nodded before he continued. “What about these?” “Those are just normal T-shirts. They’re more for casual wear only, not really in any professional setting generally. But most people wear T-shirts daily, unless they need to dress up for some occasion.” Usagi smiled. “Do you know all that much about clothes?” Connor shook his head. “Just as much as I’ve ever needed to know, like what to wear with what and what fits me… and apparently finding clothes for rabbits.” Usagi laughed. “Alright, I think I am done with shirts and pants from this store. What else do I need?” “A package of socks, a pair of shoes, and a package of underwear. I can help you find all of those.” “Please do.” Connor then started walking around the men’s section, finding the underwear section. The rabbit followed, looking around. 

Connor gestured to the wall. “Alright, underwear. There are a few different types. We have boxers, like these. They fit loose and tend to bunch up, I’m not the biggest fan of them. Next are boxer briefs. They’re like what you have on right now, they look like boxers but they fit tighter and generally go along with your movements. Also, a question, did your tail interfere with any of my clothes?” Usagi shook his head. “Surprisingly not. I guess human clothes are made to fit me a bit better than I expected.” Connor grinned. “That’s good, because I don’t need to cut holes in anything. Anyway, the last type of underwear are briefs. I wear these. They’re the tightest fitting, and they are like the most minimal type. Anyway, feel free to pick.” Usagi nodded. “I do like what I have on now, so I guess I will get these boxer briefs. Do you have a preference for brand or anything?” Connor shook his head. “Not brand really, but material. Something softer and more forgiving will last a bit longer and be more comfortable to boot. Most of these packages have a little window where you can feel the material.” 

The rabbit nodded as he took a package of underwear off the wall. “Do you think I should get one package or two?” “I think two. You change them every day, and that will last you a week before you need to do laundry. I guess I will also need to show you how to do that once you get to it.” Usagi chuckled. “Is it hard?” Connor shook his head. “Just pushing some buttons on a machine.” Connor then grabbed a couple of packages of socks off the next aisle. “Here’s your socks. I hope you like black, because I’m not letting you wear white socks.” Usagi looked confused. “Why?” “Because white socks are what middle-aged dads wear. I don’t want you to look like my dad, so there’s that.” “Oh, alright. I thought it was something more serious.” Connor chuckled and shook his head. “Okay, now you need some shoes. The shoe section is over there.” The two then walked over to it, and Usagi was surprised. “You have a lot of different types of shoes… what do you think I should get?” “Oooh, to be honest I think we should go to the dedicated shoe store for shoes, now that I think about it. We’re done here, let’s go check out.” Usagi looked confused again. “Check out?” Connor smiled. “Go and pay.” “Aaah, I get it now.”

Ten minutes later, the two came out of the store with a big bag of clothes. Connor started the conversation back up. “So, either you can carry those with you through these next stores, or we can go back to the car and lock those in the trunk.” “Can we put them in your car? I don’t want anyone to steal them or anything.” Connor nodded. “Well, let’s go then.” Three minutes later, they arrived at the Escort. Connor turned his key in the back, and the latch popped open. Lifting the hatch, he gestured for Usagi to put his bag in. He did, and Connor closed the hatch. “That’s all we needed to do there. Onto the next store, huh?”

* * *

11:08 AM

* * *

Usagi and Connor were now in a Foot Locker, looking at shoes. The rabbit was perplexed at the sheer amount of shoes available for sale. Connor saw that and smiled. “I’ll help you out. Go over to the Adidas section and look around, I think those will fit you the most.” Usagi nodded. “Is that a brand?” “It is.” The two then walked over to the section, and Usagi’s eyes lit up. “Ooh, I really like these.” He was looking at a pair of Pro Model high-top shoes. Connor smiled. “I think those will look great on you… although I think you need a pair in white and black.” Usagi nodded. “Do they have my size?” “Well, look down through all of these boxes and see if they have an eleven in each color. If they do, pull it out.” The rabbit looked through the piled in boxes of shoes, pulling out an eleven in white with black stripe. “It doesn’t look like they have my size in the black.” Connor looked around for a worker, noticing one. “Excuse me, do you have a pair of these black Pro Models in an eleven?” “We have one in the back, I will go and get it for you. Do you want the stripes or no?” “I would, thank you.” The worker nodded as he went into the stock room, coming back a minute later with the exact shoes Usagi wanted. “Black Pro Models with the white stripe in an eleven.” “Thank you for getting these for me.” “Oh no, it’s nothing. If you need any more help, please let me know.” 

The worker then walked off, and the rabbit smiled. “Do you think I need any more shoes than these?” Connor looked around and shook his head. “I doubt you really run all that much, and it’s not like you are going to be wearing these in the middle of a battle anyway. More of a lifestyle kind of thing.” The rabbit nodded. “My fighting style doesn’t really even use my feet all that much, mostly my swords. Thanks for thinking about that, though.” Connor smiled. “It’s nothing. Anyway, let’s go pay for these and go to a couple more stores. I think the next store we’re going to you will like.” Usagi chuckled. “That sounds great.”

Over the course of the next hour, Connor and Usagi went into an H&M and an Old Navy. Usagi liked the clothes in the former more, getting a variety of shirts and a couple of hoodies, under Connor’s direction. After that, they went into Old Navy, mostly for more pairs of jeans. Usagi bought a couple of pairs each of black, gray, and blue jeans, happy at the thought that he could finally do all of this. Shopping wasn’t the most exciting thing, but to have someone show you around their culture and what they wore and what they listened to was a treat. Walking back to the car, Usagi started the conversation. “I have a question, Connor.” The human looked over and smiled. “What is it?” “What kind of stuff do you wear? I didn’t really see anything like I picked out in your closet.” “That’s because I prefer more simple stuff. You kind of went crazy on the patterns and colors, which is great, but it’s not for me. A shirt with a wolf on it looks cool, but I wouldn’t want to wear it.” The rabbit laughed. “I understand. Anyway, I’m starting to get hungry. Where could we get some food?” 

Connor pulled out his phone. “It looks like there is a Five Guys down the road from here, and I can use the B&H parking lot to park, because I know the guy that works there.” The rabbit chuckled. “I can tell you know people who probably know people. Do you use that benefit often?” The human grinned. “Let’s say I do. It’s quite useful to have.” Connor then opened the hatch of his car, with Usagi putting the bags he had in. Usagi then asked another question while Connor put the other bags in the back. “So, what is this Five Guys?” “It’s a burger joint.” The rabbit nodded. “Sounds delicious.” The two then got into the car, and Connor started it up. “Let me play some music until we get to the parking lot, because I think there’s going to be some traffic. Any suggestions?” The rabbit shook his head. “Whatever you like.” Connor smiled. “Alright, here is some pop music from like ten years ago.” Some Enrique Iglesias started playing through the speakers, and Usagi started tapping his foot. “This song is pretty… what’s the word for being easily stuck in your head?” 

“Catchy. And yeah, that’s pretty true.” Connor then started singing along to the lyrics as he drove around the very-congested Manhattan. “But tonight, I’m lovin’ you! Oh! You know, that tonight I’m lovin’ you…” The rabbit chuckled. “I guess you know this song, huh?” Connor nodded. “When this first came out on the radio, I liked it. Too bad with pop music like this, it has like three to six months of popularity before something else replaces it. Anyway, we’re here.” The human then pulled into the B&H lot, and Brian saw the Escort and laughed. Connor rolled down his window, and he came up. “You’re back again, bud.” “I am, but not for cameras. Do you think I could park here for like forty-five minutes while we get some food? I’ll pay you if I need to.” Brian nodded. “Don’t need to pay me. Just park in the very back, hide behind an SUV or something. You’re cool so I’ll let you do this, don’t worry about the money.” Connor nodded. “Thanks, Brian. I wish I could buy you a beer or something, but I can’t.” Brian laughed. “No, that’s alright. I’ll let you get in there now.” Connor smiled as he eased off the clutch, slowly crawling into the lot. He parked between a black Navigator and a white Lexus RX350 and turned off the car. “Be careful when getting out, so you don’t hit the car next to us. They won’t be too happy to see their paint ruined.” Usagi nodded as he slowly opened his door, barely squeezing out. 

Connor chuckled as he saw that, and started walking out of the lot. Usagi followed, before Connor called out to Brian. “I owe you, man!” Brian nodded as they got onto the sidewalk. “Where is this restaurant?” “It’s about a block this way.” The two then walked east, crossing the street when they got to the restaurant. Opening the door for Usagi, Connor chuckled. “He’s going to love the food,” he thought as he went into the restaurant.

* * *

1:38 PM

* * *

Connor was sitting in traffic on 34th Street. He whipped out his phone, calling Don. His lover picked up after two rings. “Hey babe, what’s up?” “Hey babe. I’m in traffic right now, and I’m coming back. But I need you to feed the kitten, because he should have been fed at one.” Don laughed. “I can do that. He’s been awake for about an hour now, walking around the couches and our laps. What do I do with the formula stuff?” “There’s still some in the fridge. Heat it up to about one hundred and five degrees Fahrenheit and put it in the bottle in the drainer. You know what do to from there.” “Feed him with the bottle, then stimulate?” “Exactly. You got it, babe.” “Alright, well I’m going to go now. See you when you get back.” “Alright, I love you.” “Love you too.” Don then hung up, and Connor smiled. Usagi looked over grinning. “Was that about the kitten?” Connor nodded. “He should have been fed half an hour ago, but I completely blanked out on it.” The rabbit paused. “I think I have just came up with the perfect name for him.” “Kuro. The word for “black” in Japanese.” Connor smiled. “That sounds like a great name, Usagi. What is the character for that?” “Do you have anywhere I can write it down?” “There’s a napkin and a pen in the glove box in front of you.” 

Usagi opened the glove box, grabbing a napkin and a pen out of it. He wrote the character, showing it to Connor. “Oh, that’s the character for black in Mandarin too. Except it’s not kuro, it’s hei.” Usagi looked over confused. “You know Mandarin?” “Bits and pieces. Like that, for example.” With Connor turning into the turn lane for 3rd Avenue, Usagi smiled. “I never would have known you knew some Mandarin. That’s pretty cool.” Connor smiled. “Thank you, thank you. But yeah, that’s an interesting tidbit. I knew the two languages shared characters, but not to that extent.” The light turned green, and the human set off again, turning left. Usagi just smiled. “Anyway, yeah. How long until we get back to the lair?” “About I’d say ten minutes, why?” “No reason, just asking. I still appreciate you taking me out like this. Back when I was with the Force, all I did was really stay locked in my room and meditate, but it isn’t the best for loneliness.” Connor nodded. “I can take you out like this in the future again sometime. The price of gas is nothing, plus it’s nice to get to know you a bit more. And you needed some clothes rather badly, so there’s that. When I first showed up, April bought a bunch of clothes for me and I thought I’d pay that back a bit.” The rabbit smiled. “I am glad you are so considerate. I also noticed you spent quite a bit of money today, how did you have it all?” “Well, you need to remember, up until last week, I had a job. I never spent any of it really, so it piled up and up in my account. Don’t worry about the money, it’s fine.” 

Moving over lanes, Connor noticed Usagi lean back a bit. “Hey Connor, I have a question. It may sound kind of dumb.” “That’s fine. Please ask.” “So, in this car, I notice you touch this little knob down here a lot. Why is that?” Connor chuckled. “That is because this car has a manual transmission. I am the one changing the gears. In a lot of cars now, they have automatic transmissions, which means they do it for you. Do you understand what I’m talking about?” Usagi shook his head. “Not really, to be honest. I am still trying to wrap my head around a lot of things you guys have invented. We had nothing like cars back home, just horse-drawn carts and carriages. I would like to learn some things about vehicles, just not to the levels that you know, of course.” Connor laughed. “That’s alright. I don’t expect you to. But basic stuff you should know would be nice, if you ever need to get into something and drive it.” Usagi nodded. “That sounds great, thank you. Although I’m afraid that tonight, I have a history lesson.” Connor smiled. “That’s alright, you can learn about cars later. It’s not like you have all the time in the world now, that you’re all moved in now. Also, what do you think about this whole situation, moving into the lair and living with all of us now?” 

Usagi grinned. “It’s great, honestly. Ever since I came to your world, I was wanting to move in for about four months, but situations arose and things changed. Now, then I hear about a certain human helping Leo swap his bed out and now I can live with you guys. Thank you for that, Connor.” “No problem. He just mentioned when you knocked him off his old bed, and I realized Don’s old bed wasn’t being used, so I just swapped the two out. Don now is in my room, and I am going to use his old room for an electronics workshop. It all seemed to work out especially well, like this was meant to be for some reason. Speaking of, we’re here.” Connor turned left into their driveway, and the door automatically opened. Keeping the car in first gear, he engine braked into his lift bay. Pulling the handbrake and turning off the car, Connor pulled the release for the hatch on the floor. “The hatch is open, so you can take your stuff out.” Usagi nodded as he unbuckled his lap belt. “Thank you again for all of this, I highly appreciate it.” “It’s not a problem, Usagi. Also, you might want to turn your human generator off.” The rabbit did, and he turned back into his normal appearance. “That feels better, to go back to feeling like me and not some human representation of me.” 

Connor smiled. “It’s also nice to see you going back to your natural self. Now, let’s get these bags out of the back. Won’t do much good sitting in here.” Usagi nodded. “How do I pull this door up?” “Go under the lip, where the license plate is. Grab it from there and just pull up, it will come up by itself.” The rabbit did so, lifting the hatch up. He grabbed three of the bags, and Connor took the bag with the shoes in it, closing the hatch. Going into the elevator, Connor chuckled. “I didn’t expect you to get this much stuff, but I’m glad you did. It’s also going to be easy to make a ton of outfits out of all of this stuff, you realize that?” Usagi laughed. “You made sure of that.” “I did, that’s true. Anyway, I hope you like all the clothes... For the stuff you have on right now, just give it back to me later tonight.” The rabbit nodded. “I will. Thank you for letting me wear this stuff while we were out, by the way.” Connor waved his hand in the air as the doors opened again. “It’s alright. No need to thank me. But let’s put this stuff on your bed and Leo can go through it with us.” Usagi chuckled as he walked out of the elevator, calling out. “Babe, we’re back. Let’s say Connor got a lot of stuff.” Leo turned around and smiled. “Alright, I’ll meet you guys up there.” The two then went into the rabbit’s new room, setting the bags on the bed. 

Leo came up the stairs and walked into the room. His eyes widened at the sight of all the bags. “You weren’t kidding… That’s a lot of stuff.” Usagi smiled. “Let’s say he made sure I got everything I could have ever needed.” Connor nodded. “Rather go overkill than underkill. Come on Usagi, let’s get all of this stuff unwrapped.” The rabbit nodded as he started taking clothes out of one bag, while Connor took the shoes out of their bag, opening the boxes. He stood up after, chuckling. “I’m going to leave you two to it, I need to check on the kitten. Also, Usagi came up with the perfect name for it. I’ll tell all of you at dinner.” Leo chuckled as Connor left the room, heading down the stairs. He noticed Don was on the couch, so he sat down next to him. “Hey babe. Thanks for feeding the kitten.” The turtle smiled as he wrapped his around his lover. “You’re welcome. He’s been wobbling around the living room since you left. Isn’t that right, Father?” Splinter smiled. “He’s over here now in my lap, although he has moved from person to person.” Connor chuckled. “He’s learning about how to get attention, like any cat.” 

The positive feeling of the living room was palpable at that moment. Connor leaned over onto Don, smiling. The day couldn’t have gone any better so far, and he knew it.

* * *

* When taking care of a kitten, especially a small orphaned kitten like Kuro, please use the right replacement formula in the first place, unless it is truly an emergency. Most pet stores carry the right products for the job, such as PetAg’s Kitten Milk Replacer (KMR) or Breeder’s Edge branded formulas. Using a mixture like Connor did for formula was not the best idea, but it was better than nothing. Make sure it is at or very slightly above body temperature, and that the kitten’s body temperature is right as well. It is dangerous for a kitten to eat when they are too hot or too cold, so there’s that.


	14. Organization

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This one is a bit long, so I would suggest grabbing a drink or something to eat.

RECOMMENDED LISTENING:  
Flowing River - Dr. Peacock, Sefa  
One of the best Frenchcore tracks to come out recently. Dr. Peacock is the master of the genre, and being backed up by Sefa just makes it that much better.

* * *

Sunday, February 4, 2018, 6:07 PM

* * *

The feeling in the lair was rather relaxed at this moment. Don looked down at the clock on his computer, and it was just past six o’clock. He was still intrigued by Connor’s DNA sequence and how it was affected by that mutagen. “I probably should stop right here, I don’t want this to become a Mikey situation,” he thought as he saved his work and closed the program. Getting up out of his chair, he grabbed his empty mug and walked out of his lab. Across the hall was Connor’s new workshop, and the turtle saw the new desks in there. About two hours earlier, he and his lover finally dragged the desks out of the garage, putting them into the elevator and then into the room into the places there were to be. They lined up perfectly with each other, slotting in between the walls as if it were Tetris. 

But that was done, and Don’s coffee was needing to be refilled. He went down the stairs and into the kitchen, overhearing Connor explaining history to Usagi. “So, yeah. Basically, he took over Europe quickly…” Finishing pouring his coffee, he took a sip and then went into the dining room, where the human and the rabbit were with a laptop. Don chuckled. “What do you think about the history of our world so far, Usagi?” The rabbit laughed in response. “It’s quite interesting, to say the least. Connor was just explaining how Nazi Germany was started… in 1933?” The human nodded. “You got it, 1933. He’s getting it quite quickly, the cycle of rise to power, revolution slash revolt, die and repeat.” Don laughed. “That is our world in a nutshell, basically. Have you learned much about Usagi’s world?” Connor nodded. “It draws a lot of parallels to our version of feudal Japan, so there really wasn’t much to learn outside of the intricacies of the feudal system compared to Europe’s of the time, with farmers versus serfs and such.” 

The turtle nodded. “Well, you guys can get back to it. Don’t let him turn your brain into mush, Usagi…” Connor laughed. “That’s going to happen when this all sinks in. I haven’t even gotten past the thirties yet… And I only started in 1630.” Don laughed as he walked off, heading into the living room. He sat down next to Leo, who was watching Mikey play Forza. Leo looked over and smiled as he saw Don sit next to him, who started the conversation. “What’s up?” “Nothing really. Mikey has definitely gotten better at this game with a little help from your lover over there.” Don chuckled. “Seems like Usagi’s learned a lot.” Leo nodded. “To be honest, hearing over them, I have too. He’s answered every question Usagi’s had, even the really dumb ones, with calmness and eloquence… well as much eloquence as he can muster, anyway. Giving examples and how these leaders and visionaries and stuff have changed our culture really seems to help him.” 

Don grinned. “I guess you were right about Connor being a superhuman teacher, Raph.” The red-banded turtle grunted in response, starting to speak. “Didn’t I tell ya? He’s taught Usagi damn near three hundred years of history in what, four hours? Granted, it’s not like college-level detailed or anything, but it works.” Leo nodded. “It’s mind-boggling, to be honest. I’m not even trying to understand him anymore.” Don looked down, sighing. “I was still digging through his DNA pre-and-post mutation, and I still don’t understand it. I think I should abandon the effort, to be honest. But I’m having a hard time doing that… he’s my lover and I care a bit too much about him to do that.” Leo shook his head. “I think you should. It’s not because it is futile, but I think if you care about him so much, you need to stop boiling it down to science. Relationships aren’t just about neurochemicals flowing through the brain or physical characteristics, and you know this.” Don nodded, sighing again. “That’s true. I guess the scientist in me is trying to make it more logical than it needs to be. And what you said is right, Leo. Connor said the same thing to me a while ago, and I need to get that in my head. He said that we were both not used to being in a relationship, but it seems like he has grasped the idea of it a bit better than I have, to be honest.”

Leo looked over and chuckled. “You’re the genius, you will get it, trust me. Just put some more stock into your heart than your head for once. I may not be an expert on psychology, but I know when to trust my gut and go into something, versus going off and thinking about it.” Raph chuckled. “That’s why you’re the Fearless Leader.” Leo shot a glare at Raph before continuing. “Yeah, that’s pretty much why. But you do get where I am coming from, right?” Don nodded. “I do, I do. It’s just hard to get over it, to be honest.” Connor then laughed as Usagi made a joke. Don just smiled. “I just can’t get over him.” Leo chuckled. “Welcome to a relationship, Don. Glad you could make it… That rabbit sitting over at the dining room table has been in my head all day, and I wouldn’t want it any other way. I kind of felt jealous when he went out with Connor earlier, but that ended up being a positive.” Don chuckled. “Least you don’t feel jealous about him when he is just downstairs. I’m still not very happy about you spying on me with him…” Leo laughed. “I’m sorry. He was worried about you, and he asked for my advice. It also didn’t look like you were in the greatest shape either, so how about we brush that one under the rug?” 

Don grinned. “Fine, fine. That, we can do. Mikey, what’s for dinner?” The orange-banded turtle turned around and smiled. “I was thinking about maybe lasagna, what do you think?” Don nodded, lasagna was his favorite. “What about Usagi, though?” Leo chuckled. “He’ll like it, don’t worry. I’ll ask though… Hey babe, what do you think about lasagna for dinner?” Usagi looked up from Connor’s laptop, confused. The human smiled. “It’s basically like pasta and sauces layered in a dish. It’s really good.” Usagi’s ears perked up. “That sounds great, thank you.” Leo grinned. “I love him…” Don heard that and smiled. “I think the same way about Connor, Leo. Just addicted to him. It’s weird for me still, to be honest. I’ve never had feelings like that for anything or anyone before he came around.” Leo nodded. “Same for me with Usagi. I had never had any sort of romantic interest in anything before, but I was drawn to him like a moth to light. It’s a great feeling, isn’t it?” Don chuckled and nodded. 

Nothing else Leo could have said would relate to his situation any more than that. It was a great feeling.

* * *

7:34 PM

* * *

Everyone was gathered around the dining room table, and Mikey was taking the lasagna out of the oven. “Do you need help with that?”, Connor asked. The orange-banded turtle called out of the kitchen after. “I’m alright, I got it!” He then came through the door holding a casserole dish. Mikey set it in the middle of the table, and Don started to salivate. Connor looked over and chuckled. “I guess you really like lasagna, huh babe? Might as well be damn Garfield with the way you’re drooling.” His lover nodded, borderline leaping for the lasagna before Splinter interjected. “Son, please wait for everyone to get to the table… you know that is rude.” Don hung his head and apologized as Connor snickered. Mikey finally sat down, laughing. “Now you can dig in, Don. Just leave us all some, please.” While the purple-banded turtle got the first slice of lasagna, Usagi started the conversation. “So, Connor, should we finally release the small secret?” The human nodded as he started to speak. “We have come up with the kitten’s name… well Usagi did, but it fits really well. Please, take it away.” Usagi smiled. “So, the kitten’s name is Kuro, or the word for black in Japanese.” Splinter smiled. “That is quite a fitting name, my sons… although it isn’t the most creative name, I admit. It is better than naming it Neko or Kitty, though.” Connor chuckled as he finally got a piece of lasagna. “Anyway, that was all we had to share.”

Splinter nodded. “Anything from anyone else?” Leo nodded. “Practice starts back up tomorrow as always at nine, remember that before you go on a binge of video games until three in the morning or realize you’re passed out in your lab at four.” Don laughed and Connor chuckled before speaking. “I think I have the latter sorted out. If he’s not sleeping with me, he’s on the couch… I don’t think anyone wants that.” Don shook his head. “I promise I won’t be going crazy on the work…” Leo grinned. “That’s what we need to hear, Don. Mikey, midnight. Come on, you should know this by now.” Mikey smirked. “Well, you do know me…” Leo chuckled. “Anything you want to say, babe?” Usagi grinned. “I do have to thank Connor for all he has done today. Not just going out and shopping and teaching me history, but helping me get into the culture of your world is a major step in my assimilation… And plus, bacon cheeseburgers are delicious.” Connor put a thumb up. “I’m glad I can help you, Usagi. Anytime… And this goes for anyone at this table, if you need help with anything or advice or literally anything that’s in my realm or skillset or knowledge, I will try my hardest to help you out. I’m thinking that’s my way of getting over all the crap that I’ve been through, the hell that was my previous life in a way. Embracing something new seems to really help me, even if that’s taking a disguised rabbit shopping or teaching everyone how to do evasive maneuvers in a parking lot.” 

The rat at the end of the table grinned as he heard that. “I am glad you are thinking that way, my son. To be out of that mindset that plagued you there yesterday is a great thing.” Connor nodded. “Granted, I’m still not quite there yet, I am afraid… I will just try my best and if I happen to crack, eh, let it be. I’ll get over it eventually.” Don leaned over onto his lover. “You’ll be alright babe, I promise. I think the reverse is true too, anyone here would be happy to help you out.” Everyone at the table nodded. Connor smiled. “Thanks, guys. Anyway, I’m still hungry, and you being on my shoulder isn’t helping.” Don chuckled as he sat back up, continuing to eat. The rest of the dinner this Sunday night was very lighthearted after, with the seven sharing jokes and conversation. Connor could only be relaxed in the company, because after all he had gone through, the comfort of a nice meal and some ‘family’ was all he needed.

* * *

10:43 PM

* * *

Connor was in his new workshop, getting the space set up. He had set up his second laptop up in there, just in case he would need to look up pinouts or wiring diagrams while he was working on something. A Hakko FX-888 soldering station was still on order, courtesy of a certain purple-banded turtle. Don had expected Connor to pay him back eventually, but not 25 times over the next week. Thinking about that, the human smiled as he laid his screwdriver and socket sets out on the side table. He had labeled a bunch of plastic bins for different types of parts and put those in the dresser, using it as some sort of modular cabinet. A knock on the wall made Connor jump, and Don chuckled. “Sorry I scared you, babe. I just wanted to see how you were doing.” The human stood up and hugged his lover. “As you can see, it’s going quite well. I’ve gotten a basic system down, I just hope that no one fucks with it…” “You mean Mikey.” “Mikey really, yeah. Maybe if he touches something of mine I will tear into his Xbox and disconnect something and then I won’t fix it until he apologizes?” Don shook his head. “Then he will feel personally slighted. You know the expression ‘Demons run when a good man goes to war?’ That’s you. If he ever gets on your bad side, you can really make him question why he was there in the first place. All I ask is that you don’t ruin his life is all. We don’t need him giving us the silent treatment for three weeks.” 

The human grinned. “Alright babe. I won’t ruin his life if he fucks with my shit… But he’s still not going to have a good time, either. I can guarantee you that much. He desperately needs to learn privacy, and you all say I’m a great teacher… so we will see how this plays out.” Don chuckled. “Alright, babe. Now, would you say you are done enough to come to bed with me, possibly?” Connor grinned, turning his eyes gray. “What kind of question is that, huh? I thought the answer was a given by now.” Don pretty much scooped up his lover, carrying him out of the room bridal-style into their room. Their lips were locked together the whole time, and once the turtle set Connor on his bed, he started to grin. The turtle smiled as he noticed the gesture. “What’s making you so happy, babe?” “You. I couldn’t get you off my mind all day…” Don chuckled. “Me either.” He sat down on the bed and sighed. “When you were teaching Usagi, I was still poring over your DNA…” Connor rubbed the turtle’s shoulder, snorting a bit. “Didn’t I already tell you to stop caring so much?” Don nodded. “Leo told me that too. He said that if I really cared about you as you, I shouldn’t look into the numbers. You were right about that. I can’t help but still look at a person like a series of numbers instead of them as a person…” Connor quickly leaned over, giving the turtle a kiss.

Don was surprised by the gesture, but he relaxed into it. Connor continued to prod into his lover’s mouth, sending his tongue inside. The turtle twitched a bit at the move, but he then started to play with Connor’s tongue, too. The human tapped on Don’s plastron, signaling he was about to pull away. He did, and he laughed. “So, how was that for being a number? You can represent my love skills in a four-byte number, huh?” Don shook his head. “No, I can’t. I’m sorry for thinking that way earlier, babe. I don’t know what I was even doing.” He then continued the kiss, as both an apology and a show of sheer love for the human. Not that Connor would object with that, anyway. However, another pair of lovers saw the show that Don put on from downstairs.

Usagi was in the living room, and he heard Connor and Don talking to each other, and he grinned when the turtle carried the human into their room. Leo looked over at his lover, confused. “What’s making you so happy?” The rabbit blushed a bit. “I just saw Don carry Connor into their room, kissing each other as he did so. That’s a beautiful gesture, to say the least.” The blue-banded turtle chuckled. “Maaaybe we could do something like that? Like, right now?” Usagi’s ears perked up, and he continued to blush. “That sounds like a great idea, babe.” The two then stood up off the couch, heading up the stairs holding hands. Leo’s grin didn’t come off his face as he went into their new room, and Usagi chuckled. “Least I won’t knock you off the bed again, huh babe?” “Yeah, which will be great, I think...” Before Leo could finish his statement, however, Usagi borderline pushed him onto the bed, trapping the turtle underneath him in a kiss. “You don’t know how many times I have thought of you in these past four months, babe. It’s ridiculous.” Leo smiled. “Me too… How about we continue where we left off that long ago, crawling all over each other and not being able to let go?” Usagi laughed. “Let me take off… I still have Connor’s clothes on. Wow…” “Just leave them by their door, I don’t think he will mind.” “But I said I would give these back before the night was over… but I do not want to interrupt them. I’ll set them out like you said, that makes the most sense.” 

He then started to take off the jeans, but Leo put an end to that. “Babe, go a bit slower… I want to see every bit of you getting out of those clothes.” Usagi smiled. “I can do that, maybe tease you a bit as I do, that sounds like fun.” He then unfastened the button on the jeans, slowly unzipping the fly, tooth by tooth. Leo moaned at even the thought of what was underneath there, the thought of the rabbit being fully in the nude. He stripped off his gear quickly before Usagi even got the blue pair of jeans off. Before the turtle could see even a glimpse of a bulge, the rabbit turned around, pulling the shirt’s sleeves off his arms and lifting the back up, careful not to pinch his ears in the collar. “One thing I can commend Connor for is the hair. I don’t know how he puts up with it… my ears aren’t nearly as in the way as his hair can be, but he doesn’t even complain about it.” Before Leo could respond, however, Usagi turned around, presenting a full-frontal view to the turtle. Leo started to stammer a bit, his eyes glazing over in the sight. “I-it’s been a l-long time since I’ve seen that… god damnit you are beautiful, Usagi... I mean it.” 

The rabbit smiled as he got on the bed, laying on his back. Leo just put his hands on his lover, feeling around Usagi’s torso. The soft fur on top of a defined set of abs just made the turtle drool. Usagi put his hand to Leo’s cheek, rubbing it softly as he smiled. The turtle’s skin was different than other skin, but it felt great to caress like that. He slowly pulled on Leo’s chin, bringing him down for a kiss. The turtle’s lips met his, and a warm appendage started to invade the rabbit’s mouth. Usagi twirled his tongue around Leo’s, enjoying the taste of his lover’s most intimate areas. Leo shared the sentiment, but he had to lift off his lover. “I want you to fuck me… You only deserve it after not getting it for four months, and plus I really want you in me right now, babe.” Usagi grinned. “Alright, do you have any lube?” Leo nodded as he got off the bed and went into his dresser. “Right here. I knew I had to save some for times like this.” The rabbit smiled. “I bet you’re glad about that. Doing it dry wouldn’t be the greatest idea, I am afraid.” 

Usagi then took the lube out of Leo’s hand, popping open the cap. The turtle flipped over onto his plastron, ready to be prepped. “Are you ready, babe? I’m afraid this is going to be cold.” Leo nodded as he lifted his tail up. “I’ll deal with it, it’s worth the chill.” Usagi chuckled as he put a drop of lube on one of his fingers, carefully smearing it around Leo’s entrance. The turtle shivered a bit as that happened, but Usagi still added more lube, getting all the external areas coated in lubricant. He added more to his palm after, wrapping it around his hard cock. It wasn’t quite as big as the turtle’s was, but it’s not like a girthy six and a half inches was small, either. “What position do you want to be in, babe? Like this, or maybe missionary?” “Missionary, please. I want to see you.” “I do too.” The rabbit then carefully flipped Leo over, the turtle grinning at the sight of his lover over him. “Are you ready, babe?” The turtle nodded enthusiastically, which was enough of a green flag for the rabbit.

Usagi slowly eased in, careful to watch every expression his lover made. Inch by slow inch, Leo simply grinned. “I’m alright, babe. You can keep going, I feel great.” The rabbit smiled as he started to work himself a little deeper, bottoming out after about five seconds. “Should I start working into you, or do you need any more lube?” “It wouldn’t hurt to have a bit more, if that’s okay babe.” Usagi slowly pulled himself out as he added more lube to his member, slowly working himself back in. Leo started to churr as he did so, the feeling of his lover going inside him was one of the best feelings in the world. “Oh fuck… babe… please,” was all he could mutter out as the rabbit started to work back and forth. Leo wrapped his legs around Usagi’s body, pulling him that much closer. The rabbit caught the hint, and he sped up a bit, working deeper into the turtle’s body. Leo kept churring, and that sound made Usagi grin. “I love when you do that, babe. It’s sexy…” The turtle didn’t want to hear Usagi talk, instead he wanted to feel him, so he pulled his lover down into another kiss.

Usagi snorted a bit as he went deeper into it, playing with Leo’s tongue as he continued to fuck him. The turtle responded in kind, tasting Usagi’s tongue as he continued to churr from the stimulation the rabbit was giving him. Usagi gently pulled off Leo, smiling. “I love you, Leonardo, with all of my heart.” Leo blushed a bit and grinned. “I love you too, Usagi. I missed you so much, you know?” The rabbit nodded. “I did, too. But right here, I think it couldn’t get much better.” He then pumped again a couple of times, and Leo churred in response, starting to stumble out some speech. “I... uh… I think I’m about to be there, babe.” Usagi grinned as he continued to fuck Leo, wrapping his still-lubed hand around the turtle’s member. Leo twitched at the feeling. “You… d-don’t have to…” The rabbit smiled. “But I want to, babe. Let me take care of you.” The turtle slammed his head back into his pillow, crying out as Usagi started to work Leo’s member as he continued to pump back and forth. 

The turtle couldn’t even think about anything for more than a second with the sheer amount of pleasure flowing through his veins. Rivers of dopamine were flowing through both lovers’ brains, and Leo was the first to reach climax. “Oh fuck… babe… I’m…” was all he could muster as his body quivered, sending a rope of cum into the air. Usagi also climaxed, feeling Leo’s insides clenching down around his member. He then leaned down to kiss his lover, and the turtle wrapped his arms around the rabbit’s back as he did so. Leo pulled Usagi in closer, and the rabbit couldn’t argue, getting deeper into their kiss. The dopamine rush had been replaced with a wave of oxytocin for the two of them, and the after-sex glow was in full effect. Usagi played with Leo’s tongue, fully tasting his lover. The turtle enjoyed the feeling as he rubbed his hands up and down the rabbit’s back, before Usagi pulled away. “Is it alright if I pull out?” Leo smiled. “Yeah you can, thanks for asking. It’s been a while since I’ve been properly fucked… felt great.” Usagi laughed. “It did feel great, indeed. Let me help you clean up, babe.” He reached over, getting a tissue off Leo’s nightstand. He rubbed it on his lover’s plastron, getting every errant string of cum cleaned off.

Leo smiled at the attention. “You know I could have gotten it, babe.” Usagi nodded. “I know, but I wanted to. Plus, the look on your face right now is worth it all.” “Speaking of worth it, don’t you still need to give Connor’s clothes back?” The rabbit froze. “I forgot to… and I can’t just run across the hall naked like this.” Leo shook his head. “Check that Mikey’s still glued to the TV, and then get over there quick and set them down. Or, I can do it for you…” Usagi laughed and shook his head. “I guess I’ll do it your way, but if Mikey sees me, it’s your fault.” The turtle laughed. “I’ll take that bet.” The rabbit then took the clothes, folding them up. “Do you think he would want the underwear back?” Leo chuckled and shook his head. “Those are things you don’t really want back… Keeping them is the best idea, I think. It’s not like it’s a major loss, anyway.” Usagi nodded as he took the clothes and stood up, quickly slinking out of their room. When he was in the hall, he saw Mikey was still very into his video game, so he continued down the small hallway leading to Connor and Don’s room. He didn’t make a sound as he sat the clothes down, then quickly getting back across the hall, getting into his bedroom. Leo just grinned. “That was exciting, wasn’t it?” 

The rabbit chuckled and shook his head. “All I do know is that I’m tired, and I know there’s someone that would really like that plan, isn’t that right, babe?” Leo nodded as he pulled the blanket down, patting the bed. Usagi smiled as he laid on Leo’s left side. “Been waiting four months for this, babe.” The turtle smiled. “Is it what you expected after so long?” Usagi shook his head, and the turtle’s face dropped. “What’s wrong?” The rabbit chuckled. “Nothing’s wrong… it’s actually better than I expected. Even if we don’t have sex every night, if we can have more like that I would be happy.” Leo smiled. “As long as I’m not bottom all the time, babe.” “We can switch every so often…maybe every week? If that’s alright.” The turtle laughed. “That sounds like a great idea, babe. I am guessing this week has already started?” Usagi nodded. “Every Sunday we switch over, it makes Mondays that much more exciting.” 

Leo grinned. “I’ve never had a problem with Mondays though…” “That’s because you are broken. Everyone doesn’t like Mondays… the weekend was all fun, and then it’s back to work or school or whatever. Plus, your addiction to waking up at six might need to be twisted a bit…” Leo groaned. “God damnit… Can’t I just enjoy waking up early?” Usagi shook his head. “If you want to wake up early tomorrow, it’s as early as I want you to, you got me? No sneaking off, or I’ll ask Connor for a plan of revenge, I know that’s one of his specialties.” Leo chuckled. “Alright, alright. I’ll get up when you let me tomorrow, I just don’t want it to be nine or anything. I still need to be the example.” The rabbit smiled. “Alright, I’ll agree to that. I just want to spend some time with you in the morning before your leader switch is flipped on, even if it’s five minutes or half an hour.” Leo grinned as he snuggled closer to his lover, enjoying the feeling. “Goodnight, babe.” “Goodnight to you too, babe.” The two then relaxed further, eventually falling into the void of sleep.

* * *

Monday, February 5, 2018, 1:08 AM

* * *

Connor woke up to nuclear blast sirens, as he groaned awake. He had only been asleep for an hour after having sex with Don, but Kuro needed to be fed again, and kittens needed to be fed on a strict schedule. The turtle started to stir, groaning. “What, what?” Connor chuckled. “I need to feed Kuro again, I’ll be right back, I promise.” Don laughed. “Alright, make it quick though, because it’s going to get cold in here pretty quick.” The human grinned as he stood up, throwing on a pair of sweatpants. Walking around the lair at one in the morning didn’t need a shirt, but walking about in just underwear isn’t the greatest idea. He opened the door and paused. “Well, that’s where my clothes went.” Don leaned up and laughed. “Usagi put your clothes there?” Connor nodded as he turned around and threw them in his hamper. “I can guess what happened. The two of them fucked, but then Usagi realized he needed to give me my clothes back, so he ran across the hall naked and kinda threw them right here. And… it looks like the underwear I gave him are now permanently gone…” 

Don laughed. “Did you really want those back, though?” Connor shook his head. “I just find it funny. Anyway, I’ll be right back, babe.” He then went out of the room, going down the hallway silently. It sounded like everyone was now asleep, which was a nice noise. Connor thought the sounds of sex were great, but only if they are locked within some sort of walls. He agreed with Splinter in that regard, he didn’t care about what anyone did as long as he didn’t have to see it or hear it. He chuckled as he went down the stairs. “Hear no evil, see no evil, speak no evil…” was what he said in his head as he walked into the kitchen. He needed to make some more formula, so he mixed warm water and KMR in the right ratio, putting some into Kuro’s bottle, and the rest in the refrigerator. He tested the temperature on his wrist, and satisfied, he walked into the living room, flicking on a lamp. Kuro was still asleep in his blanket, so Connor carefully pulled it apart, and the kitten was lying still. He rubbed Kuro’s head, and he started to stir. “Hey Kuro, it’s time for more food.” 

Kuro yawned as he woke up, meowing at the sight of Connor and the bottle. The human smiled innocently as the kitten wobbled close to his lap. Kuro had figured out what to do at this point, so he had his mouth open, ready for the bottle. Connor smiled again, realizing that the kitten was smarter than he had expected. He lowered the bottle, and Kuro latched on, starting to swallow. The kitten hadn’t eaten much this time around, mostly because he had been asleep this whole time since ten o’clock. Connor sat the bottle down, grabbing two tissues off the coffee table. Kuro didn’t like being stimulated all that much, meowing the entire time the process happened. “I know you don’t like this, but you have to. Life sucks, so take this little bit as a positive, huh Kuro?” The kitten meowed again, not understanding what the human said at all, but because he was done peeing. Connor wadded up the tissue and petted Kuro, setting him back on his blanket. 

The kitten laid back down on his side, immediately closing his eyes and going back to sleep. Connor smiled at the sight. “I am right there with you, bud.” He then stood up, going into the kitchen again. He threw away the tissue, washing the bottle out in the sink. He sat it in the drainer, and then turned off the lamp before he went back up the stairs. Going into his room, Don was waiting for him, which made Connor smirk. “I told you I wouldn’t be long, babe.” “And you weren’t. I just can’t help but wait for you in all of this.” The human laid back down, and Don coughed. “You okay, babe?” The turtle sat up, and spat out a hair. “You just flung your hair in my face, babe, and three hairs went into my mouth just now.” Connor started laughing. “I’m sorry, I guess I could put it into a ponytail. That will help.” Don laughed. “Yes, that will.” Connor leaned over for a hair tie, and he whipped his hair into a quick ponytail, wrapping the hair tie around only twice. 

He laid back down, and Don grunted a bit. “That’s better, babe. Now I can breathe, what a revelation.” Connor chuckled. “I’m sorry, I forgot. When I slept alone, I would put my hair back across the pillow, exactly where your face happened to be. I guess I should be more careful, huh. Sorry.” Don simply squeezed Connor tighter against him. “Let’s go to sleep for another three hours, that’s better than the incessant apologies.” Connor nodded. “Alright, goodnight for now, babe. Only three more weeks of this, and it’ll be over.” Don chuckled. “It’s alright if we have to wake up, I still love you otherwise, babe.” “I love you too babe, goodnight.” Connor relaxed into his pillow slightly with a smile on his face. Even if Kuro had to be fed every three hours at this stage, the annoyance of waking up was well overweighed by the turtle behind him. Closing his eyes, Connor could only think of what was going to happen in this next day.

* * *

7:34 AM

* * *

The purple-banded started to wake up, because his internal alarm was going off. It usually was programmed to eight thirty, so he could get up in time to scarf down some food for practice. But this morning, it was set to Kuro-time, or every three hours. Connor had already fed the kitten again at four, but it was even late as is right now. Don then slowly squeezed his lover into a hug, instead of shaking him awake. After about ten seconds, the human started to react to the stimulation. Connor opened his eyes, flipping himself around to look at the turtle. “I thought I would be used to this by now…” Don chuckled. “Seems like not. Anyway, it’s time to wake up anyway, kitten or not.” Connor turned his head, looking at his phone. “It’s seven thirty… If Kuro wasn’t a thing, I would be asleep until ten.” “Well, that’s not good anyway. I guarantee Mikey will be stumbling down the stairs at eight forty-five, trying to scarf down a bowl of cereal before practice.” The human chuckled. “I’m not putting money on that, because I know you’re right. Let me get dressed, babe.” 

Don had to kiss Connor before he got up, though. He leaned in, and Connor snorted before he joined his lover in a kiss. “I love you, Connor.” The human blushed a bit. “I love you too, babe.” He then got up off the bed, going through his drawers. He took out a new pair of briefs, slipping his old ones off and throwing them into his hamper. Don laughed. “I needed a bit of warning for that.” Connor chuckled as he slipped the new pair on. “You were fucking me silly last night, I think me changing underwear is a little more innocent.” “Yeah, but I still wasn’t expecting to see your dick this early in the morning.” Connor laughed as he slipped on a pair of black jeans. “I’m sorry I had to horrify you this early in the morning.” Don laughed. “It’s alright, babe. Plus, that’s more chances for me to look at you naked, anyway. Can’t get much better than that.” Connor slipped on a gray sweater and smiled. “Well, I have the benefit of being able to look at you all the time, pretty much. I’m glad you don’t wear clothes every day, to be honest.” 

The turtle blushed a bit as he got up and put his gear on. “These are pretty much our clothes, but I admit they don’t cover that much.” Connor nodded. “That’s a benefit for me, because you are gorgeous and I want to look at you.” Don continued to blush. “You don’t need to woo me like that.” “I know, but I was being honest. You are gorgeous.” “You are too, babe.” Connor smiled. “I’m going to the bathroom real quick, I love you.” He then walked out of their room, walking across the hall into the bathroom. He slowly brushed his hair, making sure to get most of the kinks out of the lengths. While Connor brushed his teeth, his lover popped his head in. “I just wanted to say ‘I love you’ before I went downstairs. Do you want me to make some coffee?” Connor shook his head before he spat into the sink. “I’ll make some with the French press… Usagi might like some too, I’ll ask him. Would you like a bagel or something to go with it?” Don nodded. “That sounds great, babe. You take too much care of me, you know that?” Connor chuckled as he rinsed the inside of the sink. “I know that, and I take pride in it. It’s mutual, I think. That is what relationships are supposed to be about, right? Two people taking care of each other just because of love, not necessity.” 

Don paused and then nodded. “Yeah, I still need to get that into my head. I can’t help but think logically about everything.” Connor chuckled. “You know full well that I’m a logical person, too. But there’s things you can’t think logically about, like your lover. Fuck, look at my car. I have all of these grandiose ideas for modding it and making it this racecar for the streets, but most people would say ‘why don’t you just get a better car?’ I know it’s not the most logical thing, but I can’t help but love that little red shitbox… Think about it.” Don nodded. “That is true, I guess. Anyway, I’ll be downstairs. You’ve given me some food for thought there.” Connor groaned. “Don’t go all pensive on me today, please.” Don chuckled. “Alright, alright. I promise I will be a little less into it today, if that makes you feel better.” Connor smiled. “I don’t need to feel better, I just don’t want you to stress out about us, if you understand that anyway.” “I do, babe. Anyway, weren’t you going to make some breakfast?” 

Connor laughed. “Of course I am, babe.” He then took Don’s hand as they went down the stairs. All he could do was look up into the turtle’s brown eyes, happy to see them relaxed, as compared to jittering about between different projects and forgetting things like eating. Don noticed the look, and he grinned. “Let me guess, you are thinking about me.” The human nodded. “Your eyes are enticing… if that’s a way to describe them.” The turtle smiled. “Mine aren’t nearly as great as yours are, though. That gray color…” He then churred quietly, and Connor laughed. “I know, I know. But that doesn’t mean I can’t love your eyes, either.” He then looked around, noticing Usagi on the couch with Splinter, the two watching some TV. “Hey Usagi, would you like some coffee? I’m about to make some.” The rabbit turned around and smiled. “I would like that, Connor. Thank you.” The human nodded. “Would you like some as well, Sensei?” The rat shook his head. “No thank you, maybe another time.” Connor then walked into the kitchen, pouring water into the electric kettle. 

Turning it on, he reached into the cabinet for the Gevalia coffee he bought a few days ago. Connor started to talk to himself as he got everything together. “Let’s see, four decent cups with some leftover… this press takes fifty ounces, so twelve ounces each should be good…” Usagi heard the mumbling and chuckled. “Do you talk to yourself like that often?” Connor nodded as he scooped coffee into the French press. “It helps me clear my head a bit, and it’s so I get everything straight sometimes, especially when you have to wake up twice in a night to feed a kitten.” The rabbit laughed. “Yeah, that probably doesn’t help. Besides that, how was your night, Connor?” “It was great, I got a decent amount of sleep in those short bursts. I think I was supposed to ask you that question… I can probably figure out why you left my clothes outside my door, and no I don’t want details. But, I just found it funny that my underwear weren’t there…” Usagi bristled a bit. “Did you want them back?” Connor laughed. “No, I don’t. I just found it funny at the time is all. I could have waited until the morning to get them too, but I guess you are like me and your word is your word.” The rabbit nodded. “That is something we have in common, I believe.” 

The kettle beeped, and Connor took it off its stand. “How would you like your coffee, Usagi?” The rabbit shrugged. “I honestly don’t know, because I don’t really drink coffee… maybe you can surprise me?” Connor chuckled. “Alright, I will. Don’t worry, I’m not going to give it to you black. Leave that for Don… I used to drink my coffee black, but I was really trying to be cool about it and not really enjoy it.” Usagi smiled. “Was that just a human thing, or a social thing?” “A bit of both. I was in middle school at the time, and I was like the smallest guy there. I tried to be this edgy kid, this cool figure, but it didn’t do anything. I just learned how to not give a fuck the year after, and that’s how it’s been ever since. I don’t care about anyone unless they really affect me, so there’s that.” The rabbit just listened as Connor poured the water into the French press. “So, Connor, I had a question about like… intimate things.” The human chuckled. “Those things, huh? Sure, what was the question?” Usagi came closer, trying to whisper a bit. “So, about, like, being in a relationship with another guy. Do you and Don have some sort of system set in place with roles, or is that kind of thing even needed?” 

Connor paused. “Well, it’s a little more spontaneous for us, to be honest... Why do you ask?” “Well, last night, I thought Leo and I could switch off every week. I’m the ‘top’ for this week, and then next week, he is. Would most couples like us do that, or no?” Connor smiled. “Well, it all depends on the couple. Like if you think about a ‘straight’ couple with a guy and a girl, there are certain couples where the woman holds the power over her partner, although it’s a little rarer with the way our society grooms men to be this authority figure in certain places. But jumping back into a relationship like ours, it just depends. Your system may work great for you guys, but if we tried it, it may not work as well. I’m happy with what we have now, so I don’t really plan on changing it, unless we both came to an agreement that we should try that.” Usagi nodded. “That makes sense. Thank you for answering that, Connor. I apologize if it was a little personal.” The human shook his head. “I’m glad you asked, to be honest. Relationships are a complicated thing, much more than a car or a computer. Those are very logical things, but two people getting together is a whole different ballgame.” 

Usagi smiled. “I understand. So, is the coffee almost done?” Connor looked down at his watch, replying. “It has about a minute left. When you are making it in a French press like this, it takes four minutes to fully brew, like how you steep tea. Tea needs a certain amount of time to get to the right strength, and coffee is no different.” The rabbit smiled. “Well, it seems like I have learned something about coffee this morning, huh? Also, another question. I saw Don use that little white machine right there to make coffee, how does it work?” Connor looked over to the coffeemaker and laughed. “This is a coffeemaker. It basically does what I’m doing now, but automatically. Put water and coffee in it, and it heats the water up and pours it over the coffee, and into the pot right here. It’s easier, but I find it doesn’t taste as smooth as doing it the old-fashioned way.” 

His watch beeped, and Connor pressed the handle down slowly, catching all the grounds at the bottom of the glass vessel. “Can you grab four mugs for me, Usagi? They’re in the cabinet over there.” The rabbit opened the cabinet, looking at a shelf of mugs. “What ones would you like?” “Preferably some bit bigger ones, considering I made a lot of coffee here.” The rabbit chuckled as he grabbed some mugs, setting them on the counter in front of the human. “Here you go, Connor.” “Thank you, Usagi.” The rabbit nodded before Connor started to speak. “Would you like a bagel or something for breakfast? I can add some stuff to it also, like maybe a fried egg and bacon, if you want.” Usagi’s ears perked up. “That sounds great, thank you, Connor.” The human chuckled as he dug through the fridge, getting the hazelnut creamer and milk out. He put milk into Raph’s mug, and the creamer into his and Usagi’s. 

“Well, here’s yours, Usagi. I’ll get that bagel together in a few minutes here… Babe! Coffee’s ready!” Don turned around on the couch, smiling. “I’ll be there in a second, babe.” The rabbit took a sip of his coffee, with a puzzled look on his face. “I guess coffee is an acquired taste.” Connor nodded. “Much like anything, really. Having a sip of a beer makes me retch, it’s just not that great.” Usagi chuckled. “Aren’t you not old enough to drink, by the way?” Connor shook his head. “Legally, no. Here in the US the drinking age is twenty-one, which is pretty stupid. A lot of teenagers are getting drunk in high school and stuff, which explains how well that works.” “Is there not a sort of enforcement of that kind of thing?” Connor nodded. “There is, but it only applies to where you buy it. Stores check IDs and stuff, but anyone over twenty-one can buy something for someone under that, or a kid can get a fake ID made, so that also undermines that.” He then paused to think about April doing that exact thing for him, since he was going to pick up those bottles of wine from her later. 

Usagi nodded. “It seems like your government tries to do something, but it doesn’t work. Is it always like that?” Connor took a sip of his coffee and nodded. “Pretty much. I mean, think about it. They don’t have the time or money to focus on small shit like teenagers drinking, instead focusing it on other small shit like people who speed or blow red lights. I had a question too, now that I think of it.” The rabbit looked over, puzzled. “What are you asking?” “What if I taught you how to drive? It would be pretty useful for you, plus it’s pretty fun.” Usagi nodded. “That sounds like a great idea. Do you plan on this anytime soon?” Connor shook his head. “It’s not really the biggest priority, I am afraid. I just thought about it and decided to ask. Also, you look great in those clothes, Usagi.” The rabbit was dressed in a buttoned gray short-sleeve shirt with a pair of blue jeans on. “Thank you, Connor. I really like them.” “You’re welcome.”

Don came into the kitchen, smiling at the sight. “You are right, he does look quite put-together in that. Where’s my coffee?” Connor chuckled as he got the black coffee and handed it to his lover. “There you go. All of this was his choice pretty much, I just guided him a bit.” The rabbit nodded. Don just smiled. “Anyway, I’m going to get out of your way, babe. I love you.” “Love you too. If you want, I’ll bring your food up to the lab.” The turtle nodded. “Yeah, I do have something I need to work on… thanks for that.” Connor waved his hand in the air as he started to dig around in the fridge. “Don’t worry about it, babe. I’ll bring it up there.” He then grabbed the bagels, butter, eggs, and leftover bacon out of the fridge. Raising his voice, he called out into the living room. “Would you like a bagel, Sensei? I can possibly put an egg and some bacon on it if you would like.” The rat nodded. “That would be great, my son. Thank you.” Connor called back “You’re welcome” as he put two bagels into the toaster. 

Usagi smiled. “Is it okay if I watched you cook, Connor? I find the process quite mesmerizing.” The human chuckled. “Of course you can, Usagi. I’m not really cooking all that much, but if you really want to watch you can.” Connor then put a pan on the stove, turning the burner on high. As he popped two more bagels in the toaster, Usagi looked confused. “So, you are toasting the bagels?” Connor nodded. “Not just toasting them, but frying this underside in butter. My mom’s boyfriend did that once for us, and it was really damn good.” The rabbit cocked his head. “Mom’s… boyfriend? How does that work?” The human chuckled and then sighed. “She divorced my dad and moved in with him. Don’t get me wrong, he’s a great guy, him and my dad are like brothers separated at birth. My mom just happened to swap from the broke and trying guy to the slightly-less broke and already-tried guy. Anyway, yeah I adopted this bagel technique from him.” Usagi chuckled. “I’m going back into the living room, if you need any help please ask.” 

The rabbit left the kitchen, leaving Connor to finish cooking the small breakfast for everyone. After ten minutes, he had seven eggs fried up, and all the seven bagels were all fried on the bottom, so the butter soaked into the bread, making it soft on the inside, but crisp on the outside. Grabbing paper plates, he then started assembling the breakfast sandwiches, adding bacon, egg, and cheese to each one.

Carrying out three plates, he walked into the living room. He sat one down on the coffee table at his spot, and then started to divide them up. “Sensei, here’s yours, and Usagi… There you guys go. Is Leo in the dojo?” The rabbit nodded. “Just pop your head in, he’ll come out.” Connor chuckled as he walked out of the living room, slowly sliding the door to the dojo open. “Hey, I made you breakfast.” The blue-banded turtle looked over and smiled, stopping his practice. “Thank you, Connor.” The human nodded. “Come on in and get it. Do you think it’d be alright if I put Mikey’s and Raph’s in the microwave or something?” Leo chuckled. “Or, I could just get them up, so their food is still warm.” Connor laughed. “Alright, I guess you can do that. I still need to give Don his food, and I need to feed Kuro… My morning has been a bit of a crazy rush around, I admit.” “That’s alright, I’ll help you out a bit, it’s fine.” Leo then put his katana in their sheaths, setting them on the wall in their designated spot. “Also, Connor, I had a question, if you don’t mind.” “Sure, what is it?” “You know I’m always thinking about battle and techniques and stuff, since that is pretty much my job. What do you think about possibly training more with those tonfa? I mean… you figure that Don and Splinter are… you know, but you do need to learn with these basic ones first.” Connor nodded. “I know that. So, what do you have in terms of training? I am like the ultimate beginner in any type of fight.” 

Leo shrugged. “Honestly, I may have an idea halfway together, but I still need to try it out. You are open minded about this whole situation, right?” Connor nodded again, and Leo continued. “That’s great. Before we started training with you, I needed to talk to you… I tried to earlier, but your magical bed revelation cut that one short.” The human chuckled. “Yeah, that one was a bit of a higher priority… now Usagi is on the couch eating breakfast. Come on, let’s get you to join him, huh?” Leo grinned. “That sounds like a great idea, after I get Raph and Mikey up, of course.” Connor chuckled and started to walk out of the dojo, with Leo following. The human went into the kitchen, grabbing two more plates. “Here’s yours, Leo.” The turtle accepted the plate with a smile. “This looks great, Connor. Thank you.” The human chuckled as he went up the stairs, going into the lab. Don looked up and smiled. “Food’s here! Thanks, babe.” Connor sat the bagel on the desk and gave the turtle a kiss. “I love you too. I gotta go, but I just wanted to give you this.” As the human left the lab, the turtle chuckled as he bit into his sandwich.

The thoughts going through his brain weren’t just admiration for the taste of the breakfast, but the love that Connor showed him, even in little moments like that. That could only make the breakfast sandwich taste even sweeter, and Don realized that. He continued to chuckle like an idiot, because he couldn’t get the human out of his head. If thoughts like that were an infection, the turtle would have already figured out the perfect antibiotic cocktail to kill it… but this was one infection that was worth it.

* * *

9:05 AM

* * *

The morning so far had been great. Everyone ate, and Connor had fed Kuro a bit later than usual. The kitten wasn’t the happiest about it, but once he had been fed, he calmed down. Connor chuckled as he held the kitten, because even if he had fed him an hour late, he still enjoyed the act of caring for him. Too bad practice was about to start.

All the family aside from Splinter were in the dojo. Connor and Usagi were on the sidelines, while the four brothers were running through their katas with unrivaled precision. The two non-turtles couldn’t help but stare as the turtles got inch-perfect, in perfect timing with each other. The years of training helped that fact, but the day after day of practicing those exact moves over and over was the main cause. After about ten minutes, the turtles were done, and fell out into a more relaxed stance. Leo clapped his hands together. “Alright, here’s the plan for today. We are going to spar, but with a twist. Connor, you’re going to be in this.” The human’s eyes widened. “Really?” Leo nodded. “There’s fine print in that, of course. Whoever will be sparring against Connor won’t try to make him yield, but instead letting him defeat you… however long that takes.” Mikey looked confused. “Basically, let him win?” Leo shook his head. “I wouldn’t say let him win, per se, but increase the challenge as you go. Are you alright with that, Connor?” The human nodded. “I’ll give it a try, but don’t expect anything too crazy.” 

Leo chuckled. “I’m not, that’s for sure. Just give it your best shot, try to fight against each of us as well as you can muster. Also, you might want to grab those tonfa, I’m afraid that trying to go bare-handed won’t work quite well. Mikey, you’re against Connor to start. I’ll be against Don, and Raph… well, you can sit and watch with Usagi, I guess.” Raph chuckled. “Like I need an excuse to do nothin’.” Connor grasped the wooden tonfa, spinning them around in his hands before getting into position across from the orange-banded turtle. Leo smiled. “Would you like to do a countdown, Connor?” The human grinned. “I guess I could. Alright… SAN… ER… YI… KAISHI!” At that instant, Leo and Don started to spar, katana vs bo. Connor darted his eyes forward, and Mikey grinned. “Are you ready, Connor?” The human nodded, inhaling. “I guess I am, Mikey.” The orange-banded turtle nodded before he got into position. “Come on, Connor. I want to see what you can do.” Connor’s heart started to pound, and adrenaline started to flow through his system. He nodded as he got closer to the turtle, and Mikey threw the first hit. The spinning nunchuck in his left hand was thrusted toward the human, but Connor spun the tonfa in his right and knocked that arm out of balance, using his left to land a hit on Mikey’s right side. 

Leo and Don stopped their spar, instead watching in amazement. Leo’s eyes were wide open, and Don was chuckling. Mikey decided to make the fight a little more interesting, so he backed away from Connor, and the human followed in pure instinct. “I guess you want to make this a little harder, huh?” Connor grinned. “Why not… give me all you got.” Mikey’s eyes widened. “You sure?” The human nodded. “If you fuck me up, so what. I’ll be fine.” The turtle chuckled as he charged toward the human, both nunchucks spinning at full speed. Connor’s eyes suddenly turned green, and he went into some sort of fighter mode. Instantly blocking both attacks, he spun the tonfa around quickly, using centrifugal force to get a decent hit on Mikey’s arm and a jab in his solar plexus. The turtle was caught in surprise by this, but when he coughed, Connor was already at a low angle, getting two more hits in as the turtle was still frozen in thought. 

Mikey turned around, seeing the human ready to go again. “You done yet, Mikey? Or was that not all you really had?” Mikey shook his head. “Not that, but… your eyes are bright green right now. Maybe Raph was right, Leo…?” Connor looked over and froze as Leo and Don nodded. Leo started to speak. “Well… I didn’t expect that. Mikey was giving you everything he felt he had, but he didn’t even land a single hit on you. Also, Connor, your eyes are green. Maybe it’s another effect of that mutagen.” The human nodded. “Well, the adrenaline is still pumping through me, anyone want to go next?” All the other turtles shook their heads. Don smiled. “If you could fight Mikey like that, we all wouldn’t have a great chance either. He’s generally the most limber and flexible of all of us, but it looks like you beat him in that. Even Raph has issues fighting him.” Connor smiled. “Alright. I guess I need to learn how to use this power or whatever eventually. If you guys aren’t in the mood to fight, that’s fine with me. So, what’s next?” Leo paused to think. 

“Well, Connor… Would you be alright to continue your training with Raph while all of the rest of us figure out a plan with Splinter?” Connor nodded. “That sounds fine.” The three other turtles and Usagi left the dojo, leaving the human and Raph in there. Leo sat on the couch and put his head in his hands. “Fuck…” Splinter came into the living room, possibly aware of the situation. “What is wrong, my son? I almost never hear you swear like that.” Leo chuckled. “Well, it looks like Connor has some sort of special fighter mode switch in his head.” Mikey nodded. “He sparred against me, but even my full-out fight wasn’t enough to even get a hit in on him, Father.” The rat paused. “I must talk to him, and possibly watch what he does in a spar. Was there anything surprising about his fighting style?” Don nodded. “Father, you know how Mikey already comes into a fight with his nunchucks spinning around, intending to break a bone or maim something?” The rat nodded. “What about it, my son?” “Connor just blocked one of those attacks like it was a joke. I mean, he was nervous to get into the battle in the first place… But his eyes turned bright green and it looked like he turned into an all-out fighting machine.”

Leo coughed, starting to speak again. “Also, I forgot to mention that he’s figured out your secret…” Splinter smiled. “I knew he would soon enough.” Don groaned. “I guess I’m not the best at keeping secrets huh? Did he tell you why?” Leo nodded. “You don’t hide context very well.” The purple-banded turtle chuckled. “Alright, will work on that. But I’m still in shock about his fighting skills. Was that all you had, Mikey?” The orange-banded turtle nodded. “It was about eight-tenths. I didn’t really want to break any bones, if you understand that.” Leo smiled. “Well, it looked like your eight tenths was nothing for him to get past. It still didn’t even look like you were fighting him, but I knew you were…” Splinter grinned. “To be honest, my sons, I am in shock too, from what you are telling me. I never expected him to be this natural fighter, but I assume that is an effect from that mutagen he was injected with, if I am not mistaken.” Don nodded. “That is an effect of it, yes. That certain tendency is what makes a Foot soldier such an opponent for us… I wonder, though…” 

Raph finished writing a series of numbers on the clipboard, smirking. “Ya did really well this time, Connor. I’m pretty damn surprised at the gains you’ve gotten so far…” Connor smiled. “I’m glad. To be honest, I can get used to this eventually… even if I’m not going to be benching 400 pounds or whatever.” Raph chuckled. “I don’t expect you to get there either. Just need ta get some more muscle on those bones is all.” After the turtle finished that statement, Splinter popped his head into the dojo. “May I talk to you, Connor?” The human nodded. “Let me get off this bench first, heh.” He extricated himself from the bench press, and stretched a bit as he stood up. Splinter smiled. “I will be in my shoji whenever you are ready, son.” He then left the dojo, walking down the hallway. Raph chuckled. “I’m guessing Leo told him about that sudden switch.” Connor sighed and nodded. “Seems like it.” “Hey, ya don’t need to be sighing about that. You surprised Mikey… I bet you could hold it with me if you were in that fighter mode, to be honest.” The human looked up incredulously. “Really? That’s bullshit.” Raph shook his head. “I’m not kiddin’. If ya were in full fighter mode like ya just were… I’d have a hard time with ya, ta be honest.” 

Connor just shook his head and chuckled. “How about you show me tomorrow, and we shall see.” Raph grinned. “Deal. Get in there with Splinter first, though.” Connor nodded as he walked out of the dojo, into the living room. Don looked up and grinned at the sight of his lover, and the human noticed that. “I guess the fact that I exist makes you happy, huh babe?” He then sat down on the couch next to Don, and the turtle wrapped his arm around Connor. “You do make me happy, babe, that much is true. Splinter has to talk to you.” “I know, I was just going to check on Kuro before I did. He looks like he’s comfortable.” Don chuckled. “I love that little guy. So cute…” Connor grinned as he picked Kuro up off his lap. “Whoa, hey big guy, don’t get all sappy on me now.” The turtle laughed. “Alright, alright. Get in there with Splinter.” Connor smiled as he stood up, still holding Kuro against his chest. 

Walking down the hallway towards Splinter’s shoji, Connor squeezed Kuro gently, eliciting a meow from the cat. He looked down and smiled, seeing the black feline looking up with a pair of blue eyes. He slowly slid the door open, and Splinter looked up and smiled. “Please, come sit down, my son.” Connor nodded as he did so, and Splinter’s eyes lit up when Kuro meowed. “I see you have brought Kuro in here with you… may I hold him?” Connor grinned. “Of course you could, Sensei.” He then set the kitten on the table in front of the rat, who gently picked him up. His whiskers twitched a bit as he held Kuro to his chest. “He is going to grow up to be a great companion, Connor.” The human smiled. “I believe he will be too. So, how about we get down to business? I already know why you need to talk to me.” Splinter nodded. “I am still in shock about how your fighting skills have been described to me. Michelangelo said you went into some sort of fighter mode, is that roughly what happened?” 

Connor paused, and then nodded. “I guess you could put it that way. I still don’t even know what happened, to be honest. Can I explain the sensation I felt in the way I feel is best?” Splinter nodded. “Whatever way you need to, my son.” “Alright, well. Here goes… When I was starting to spar with Mikey, I was pretty nervous. I was never in a fight like that before, so it was all completely new to me. But, Mikey threw the first hit, and adrenaline started to kick in. I blocked the first couple of hits he threw at me like it was nothing. After that, he asked if he should bring up the challenge a little bit. I said sure, because I thought that was easy enough. Apparently, he brought the fight level to maximum, but it still felt like he was trying to fight through a fog or something, because I could anticipate every hit he was about to make, what move he would try next. Honestly, it surprised me. I asked if that was all he had, but that was when he noticed my eyes were green… as if my brain had changed entirely in that whole interaction.” 

Splinter sat back and grinned. “Michelangelo is a great fighter, but I would not have expected you to overtake him like that… I’m making this decision right now, that I honestly don’t think I need to train you like I believed I had to. Do you believe if you get into this “fighter mode” you can defend yourself well enough to possibly incapacitate someone?” Connor nodded. “That sounds rather easy, to be honest. I’m not saying I’m this great fighter, but if this is what a mutagen does to me, I won’t say I miss being all weak and vulnerable.” Splinter chuckled. “That’s great, my son. I still would like to see how you fight, of course. Would that be alright?” Connor nodded. “I also have Raph going up against me tomorrow, he thinks I’d pretty much match him in terms of skill, but I’m not so sure about that.” The rat’s eyes widened. “If he believes so, it must be true to an extent… Also, don’t tell Donatello this, but you did figure out our secret to a tee. We have commissioned a custom pair of tonfa for you, with some nice upgrades you will appreciate.” Connor grinned. “I knew it! He’s not the best at hiding a secret, I’m afraid. Do you have it all already planned out and all?” Splinter smiled and nodded. “Yes, we do. I shall not tell you when we believe they should be finished, however. That much is still a secret.” 

Connor smiled. “Alright, I won’t ask either. Did you already talk to whoever the manufacturer is?” Splinter nodded. “Donatello and I went to talk to him while you were gone with Usagi shopping. The process of talking to someone like that is… what you would call “a guy who knows a guy”, if you will.” The human chuckled. “I have a couple of those situations going on as well. I completely understand that process. Don’t let me hinder it at all, and let me guess, obviously don’t tell Don what you told me here.” Splinter nodded. “Exactly. Anyway, you are free to go. You still have surprised me today, Connor.” “Thank you, Sensei. Also, would you like to keep Kuro in here? I only need to feed him at eleven, so that gives you about an hour.” The rat’s eyes widened. “I can do that? I would love to, thank you.” Connor smiled as he stood up. “Well, I’m going to get out of here, make sure he doesn’t crawl under anything or get burned by your candles. I’m fine with having a fuzzball around, but not a fireball.” Splinter laughed. “I will make sure he won’t be injured in here, Connor.” The human shook his head and laughed as he walked out of the shoji, sliding the door closed. 

As he went up the stairs, Connor chuckled. He couldn’t believe that there was a switch in his head that made him into some sort of crazed fighter, but it seemed like that was a thing now. He walked into his workshop and sat down, thinking about the sorts of electronics he could fix.

* * *

11:43 AM

* * *

Don looked up, hearing the door to his lab open. He saw his lover come in, and he immediately grinned. “Hey babe, what’s up?” Connor chuckled. “Nothing really, just saying I had some errands to run. You need anything while I’m out?” Don looked around and then shook his head. “Not right now, if I need something I’ll get it later.” “Alright, I’m going to go now. I need to pick up some stuff, and I think April would like me to get all of those electronics and shit.” Don chuckled. “Finally going to start that whole thing, huh?” Connor nodded. “Something for me to do, at least. Plus a bit of cash flow wouldn’t hurt.” “Yeah, that’s true. Alright, I love you babe.” Connor smiled as he kissed Don. “I love you too, Don.” He then walked out of the lab, heading into their room. Grabbing his wallet and phone, he slipped those into his pockets as he slung his jacket on. Looking down at the nightstand, Connor smiled. All of this would be worth it, all for the turtle in the lab. 

Pushing the button for the elevator, the doors opened and the human pulled out his phone as the box hurtled upwards. He scrolled to April’s name, pushing the call button by her name. Connor put the phone to his ear, and it took four rings for the woman to pick up. “Hey, Connor! What’s up?” “Well, I’m about to run some errands, and I think I can pick up all of those electronics and the wine if it’s an okay time for you.” April laughed. “I like how nonchalant you are about it. And it’s a great time, I’m not really doing much. You can park down here at my store.” “Alright, sounds great. Thank you, April.” “You’re welcome, Connor. See you in a little while?” “Yeah, about twenty minutes or so, at least I assume so. I have a couple of things I need to pick up before getting over to you.” April chuckled. “Okay, well, see you later, Connor.” She then hung up the phone, and Connor chuckled as he put his phone back in his pocket. The doors to the garage opened, and he walked in, pulling his keys out of his pocket.

Getting into the Escort, he flopped down into the driver’s seat, closing the door and turning the key in the ignition. The engine started, settling into its rough cold idle. Connor sighed as he put his lap belt on, buckling it. He needed to drop by the UPS store for the parts for the Battle Shell, to April’s, and then Hakim’s convenience store for the sous vide cooker. Backing out of his lift bay, he pressed play on his radio. “Flowing River” started to play through the speakers, and Connor chuckled. “It’s been a while since I’ve listened to some Frenchcore…” he thought as he crawled out onto 52nd Street. The light for 1st Avenue just turned green, so Connor punched it, chirping the front tires as he shifted into second gear. He barely made the light, as it turned yellow when he started to turn in under braking.

About ten minutes later, he pulled up to the side of Third Avenue, next to the UPS store. He parked the Escort and turned it off, chuckling as he got out. “I wonder how big this box is going to be,” he wondered as he walked into the store. The lone worker smiled as she looked up. “Welcome to the UPS Store, how may I help you?” “I have a package for pickup.” She nodded as she walked over to her computer, and Connor got up to the counter. “I need a photo ID to match the name on the package, and a signature.” “Alright.” He held out his driver’s licence, and the woman took it, looking at the name. She handed it back to him soon after. “Alright, that’s a match. Just sign that little reader over there and I’ll get it out of the back. It’s quite big, I am afraid.” Connor chuckled as he signed the reader. “Do you think it would fit in my car?” The woman nodded. “I was just afraid if you walked in and had to carry it home, it has to be a solid 45 pounds.” She then went into the back, coming out with a big box with the Summit Racing logo on the side. 

The woman chuckled as she brought it out on a hand truck. “What did you buy anyway? This is a lot of stuff.” Connor smiled. “It’s a bunch of upgrades for my other car.” “Oh, okay. I was just wondering, haha. Is your car outside?” Connor nodded. “I’ll go unlock it real quick.” He then went out of the store, opening the passenger’s door for the woman. She then came out, rolling the box down the ramp. She smiled when she saw that Connor already opened up his car and all. “On the seat?” Connor nodded. “I can buckle it up and all that.” The woman laughed. “Alright, do you think you can lift it up in there?” He then chuckled as he took the box, squatting down and back up to lift it into his car. “There’s that… Thank you for the help.” “You’re welcome.” She then went back into the store with a wave, and Connor buckled the box into place with the lap belt. 

Getting into the driver’s side, Connor shook the box of parts to make sure it was in place. He chuckled, because he didn’t even believe this was happening, the parts even being ordered, let alone being in his passenger’s seat. 

About ten minutes later, April saw a faded red econobox pull up in front of her store. She grabbed the two bottles of wine from her mini-fridge, setting them on her desk. Connor got out of his car, closing his door. The woman came out from her store, smiling. “Hey, Connor!” The teenager smiled as he looked up. “I’m finally here, huh?” April smiled. “I have that wine in there. Do you have anywhere to hide it?” Connor chuckled as he opened his door, pulling the release for his rear hatch. He then opened it, pulling up the rear carpet to expose the spare tire well. “What do you think about that?” April looked in and laughed. “That’s genius, no one would even think of looking in your spare tire. Will the bottles roll around?” “With the trim back in place, they won’t roll around, and they won’t be crushed.” April chuckled. “Alright, that is still a great idea. Let me go and get them.” She then dashed into her store, and then she came back out with two bottles. Connor’s eyes lit up. “I see you got exactly what I needed, thank you.” April smiled. “One bottle of Cabernet, and one bottle of Martini Asti. I am saying this again, these are great choices for a nice dinner. Not too expensive either.” Connor chuckled as he sat the cold bottles in his spare tire well, putting the trim back in place. 

“That’s done… So, what about those electronics?” April grinned. “I have them inside. There’s a lot, so we might need to do a couple of trips.” Connor laughed. “That’s fine.” He then got on the sidewalk to walk along with April, but she noticed the box in the passenger’s seat. “What’s in your seat right there?” Connor chuckled. “It’s a bunch of upgrades for the Battle Shell… you know I’m planning this whole dinner for Don, but this is the second part of it. He always complains about how little power that thing has… so what if I were to go into it and add about a hundred to a hundred and fifty? I think that would spruce it up a little bit.” April looked at the box and Connor with an incredulous look. “Are you kidding? When did you get all of this?” “About six days ago, before we even got together. Raph told me about how Don complained about the power, and after I drove it, I had to agree. So, I bought all these parts and while we are out having dinner, Raph is going to install all this stuff. And when I say there’s a lot in there, there is.” April laughed as she walked into her store, holding the door for Connor.

“I wish I had a boyfriend like you, you know that? Casey’s great, but he doesn’t even think about stuff like that. Although, I don’t really want him to spend that kind of money on me.” Connor smiled. “You know Don’s going to pay me back for this in multiple ways… Plus it’s going to make that thing a better offensive vehicle, so that’s good. Only thing bad about this so far is the stress, and the punishment my bank account has taken over this past week. I’ve spent well over three grand this week, and I’ve never spent that much in my life!” April cringed. “Oooh, that’s a lot… But if you’re alright with it, I guess that’s okay. Anyway, here’s all the stuff I got for you, all boxed up and wrapped up. I am guessing we need to put that TV in the back.” Connor held out his hand for April to pause. “I am still on the fence about that TV… What’s wrong with it?” “It powers on alright, but the signal is flaky. I’m guessing there are some loose wires in it or something to make it go to snow like that.” The teenager sighed. “Oh, thank fuck. It’s just screens like this run on a very high voltage internally, and I really don’t want to be prodding all the way in there if I have to.” 

April nodded. “I get it. Anyway, are we going to start loading this stuff up? The box on the right is a bit heavier, I hope you could get that one.” Connor chuckled. “Always the man that needs to do the heavy lifting, huh? Yeah, of course I’ll get it, April.” He then squatted down, grabbing the large box by its handles. In it were a variety of old computers and electronic devices, and it looks like April’s was filled with phones, controllers, and other small electronics. Connor picked up his box, carrying it out the door. April followed him with her lighter box after about ten seconds. The two then set their boxes in the cargo area of the car, and Connor shut the hatch. “That’s done… now that TV… It probably needs to go behind my seat. Can you pop the seat forward while I get it?” April nodded. “Sure thing.” The teenager then quickly went into the store, heaving the heavy CRT TV out. The woman chuckled at the sight of the teenager struggling with the weight. “It’s pretty heavy, isn’t it?” Connor growled. “You fucking know it. This thing has to be like fifty pounds, damnit.” He then ducked into his car, setting the TV on the rear seat. He buckled it in as well, locking the retractors so it wouldn’t move. 

Connor sighed as the load was off his arms. April smiled as he did that. “That’s all I had for you… I don’t know if I should say ‘enjoy’ or ‘good luck’.” Connor chuckled. “Yeah, both work. Do you have any time you need all of this by, or is it just whenever?” “Whenever, really. I’d like to refresh my stock every week, so just drop off whatever you have done next Monday, I guess? I’ll probably have new stuff by then too.” Connor nodded. “Just no more TVs, please. Monitors to go with computers, yes. TVs, no.” April smirked. “Alright, no more TVs, I promise.” Connor flipped his seat back, getting in. “Alright, well it seems like I will see you in a week… also, thank you for all of this. Not just the electronics.” The woman smiled. “It’s fine, I swear. Least I can do is use your money to buy alcohol… well, put that way it sounds like I’m some sort of scumbag. Anyway, I’ll let you go now, I bet you have a bunch of stuff you have to do.” The teenager chuckled. “That’s an understatement.” He then popped his clutch in, starting his car. “I’ll see you later, April.” The woman waved as she walked back into her store, closing the door. 

Connor smiled as he put his seat belt on. About fifteen minutes later, he turned into the garage. Turning into his lift bay, he turned off his car and pulled up the handbrake. Pulling out his phone, he quickly texted Raph. “Garage. ASAP.” The typing indicator popped up, and Raph replied. “On my way.” The human then unbuckled, getting out of the driver’s seat of his car. He reached over and back to unbuckle both the Summit Racing box and the TV, and he pulled the latch for the rear hatch, so he could open that up. The elevator dinged, and a certain red-banded turtle came out. “So, ya got the shit?” Connor nodded. “In the passenger’s seat. Fucking box has to weigh forty-five pounds.” Raph opened the door, and his jaw borderline dropped. “That’s a damn big box… do you have any idea where we could hide the shit?” Connor shook his head. “That’s where I’d ask you. You should know somewhere you could hide something in this damn lair or even in the fuckin’ sewers.” 

The turtle chuckled. “I do, but it’s a little bit away from here, and ta get there, we will need ta go topside.” Connor sighed. “Fine. At least leave your phone here so Don can’t track you, you know how he is with me.” Raph laughed. “Yeah, I do. But all we gotta do is go in the alley behind here and duck down the manhole, and it’s about five minutes of a walk to get to this little room.” Connor raised an eyebrow. “A little room? You’ll have to show me… that is something I could use.” Raph grinned. “Ya sneaky little fucker, that’s something it seems like ya’re good at. But yeah, I’ll show ya. Can I get this box outta yer car first?” Connor nodded. “Gladly.” Raph grasped the box and shut the door, as the human put his phone on the workbench, opening the door. “Might want to turn your human generator on before we go, we will be topside, of course.” The turtle nodded as he did so before he sat his phone next to Connor’s. “That’s done, let’s get the fuck outta here.” 

Three minutes later, the two were in the sewers, and Raph was leading the way. “It’s kinda easy to get there, just straight and make a right when I show ya.” Connor smiled. “Alright. I have a question.” “Sure, shoot.” “How come you found a hidden room in the sewers your brothers know especially well? I thought they would have found something by now.” Raph shook his head. “It looks like there’s nothing there. Don probably doesn’t even know about it, to be honest. In the blueprints for these sewers, there was what looked like an empty space behind a wall. I assumed there was nothing behind there, but I went there one day and felt around, and a door opened. By the way, turn right here when ya see this weird black stain.” Connor chuckled. “Sounds like every Southern mother. ‘Turn left at the statue, and then right at Katie’s old house.’ It’s pretty weird, especially coming from you.” Raph chuckled. “Well, we’re here.” Connor looked around and laughed. “There’s nothing here.” “That’s the point. Now, watch carefully.” He tapped three times on the wall, and it lifted out. “Twice on the left white stain, once on the right. Got it?” “Yeah, I do.” Raph walked into the room and flicked the lights on. 

Connor’s eyes widened as he looked in the room. It wasn’t an empty storage unit, instead it had actual furniture in it, a small TV, and a fully stocked bar on the side. “You weren’t fucking kidding, Raph. This place is pretty cool… Another question, though. The hell do you use this place for?” The turtle froze as he sat the box of parts down. “Ya can keep a secret, so I’ll tell ya. Basically, I use it as an escape room. The guys will tell ya how I run off ta Case’s when I’m pissed about something and need to get out, and I do. But I’m usually there for an hour or two, then I come down here ta either drink myself ta sleep or watch porn and whack it till I go ta sleep. Really, numbing out the thought of whatever pissed me off…” Connor shook his head. “That’s not good, man. If I’m pissed or about to burst into tears about something, I just go out and drive. That seems to calm me out, the harder I drive, the better I feel.” Raph nodded. “I know it’s not that great for me, but shit. My punchin’ bag can only take so much before it starts to shame me. Fuckin’ Splinter doesn’t like me drinking much more than a beer, so I have all this. I have a question too, Connor.” 

The human nodded, not expecting any sort of question. “Do ya have anythin’ to hide? Like mentally, physically, what?” Connor sighed as he sat down on the small couch next to Raph. “Of course I do. That shit this morning with me becoming this sort of crazy fighter to rival you guys is a good one. I don’t fucking know what to think about that, and let’s not even mention all this shit with Don. I am very very happy to do all of this, but it’s stressing me out. I’ve spent fucking three grand this past week. Three grand! I don’t feel like I’m really part of this yet, like I’m in some sort of circus and I’m the side show.” Raph laughed. “Yer not, trust me. Ya just surprised us this morning, and it looks like ya surprised yourself in all of that, too. Don’t worry ‘bout it.” Connor put his head in his hands. “I am just not really… in my zone. Here I am asking April to buy wine for me for our dinner, and I just fucking bought twenty-five hundred bucks of parts for the Shell. Fuck it, I need a drink. Is that alright?” Raph chuckled. “That’s what they’re there for. I never thought you were one for drinking.” Connor shook his head as he walked over to the makeshift bar. “I hate the taste of alcohol. But I get why people do it, and this is a drinking moment.” He then grabbed a can of Dr. Pepper from the fridge, and the bottle of Captain Morgan rum. Grabbing a glass, he mixed the two, and Raph started laughing.

“That’s what you’re gonna drink, of all things?” Connor nodded. “You remember how I just said how I hate the taste of alcohol, right? I could do three shots of fuckin’ Everclear right now, but I’ll throw up everywhere.” Raph simply smiled. “I get it. How’s your tolerance?” “Nonexistent. One decent IPA and I’m stumbling around.” “God damn. You’re going to be fucked up after drinking that.” Connor chuckled after he took a sip of the boozed-up soft drink. “That’s the point. Also, no more driving for today. I would literally kill every drunk driver that exists with my bare hands.” Raph laughed. “I would too. Just try not to let everyone know you’re fucked up, please. I don’t want Leo or Don being on my case because you happen to be whacked out of your mind.” Connor waved his hand in the air. “I’ll try not to. I have experience with that kinda shit, trust me.” The turtle laughed again. “How?” “Freshman year of high school, a kid gave me weed, it wasn’t much, like half a gram or so. I was quite paranoid about the whole thing, to be honest. But, one day I made like a ghetto grav out of a two-liter bottle and some aluminum foil.” Raph started laughing. “Let me guess, you went to school high as shit.” Connor nodded. “Not one of the best things I’ve ever done, let’s say. I was giggling like a little girl and had cottonmouth like a motherfucker. Some kids could obviously tell I was high as shit, because they were too. Someone asked why my eyes were red, I told them it was allergies… because it probably was that too.” “You’re mental.” “Oh, I was. Let’s also say I’ve learned I don’t really like the feeling of being high all that much and going to school isn’t the best idea when you are high… So me having a drink here and then going up to the lair will be no problem.”

Raph sighed. “Alright, I just had to make sure. Finish off that drink so we can go… I don’t think you want that shit to start to kick in while we’re still down here.” Connor shook his head before he downed the rest of the drink. “Where do you want me to put this glass?” “Over there somewhere. I don’t really care.” Connor nodded as he wiped the glass out, setting it on the counter. He grabbed the rest of the can of Dr. Pepper, glugging it down. Raph looked over, confused. “What was that for?” “Getting the rum off my breath, get with the picture.” “Oh, yeah. Come on, let’s get the fuck outta here.” Connor nodded again as Raph unlatched the door. “You see that latch there, pull it up and push the door out. It’ll start to swing out, and then ya just walk out.” “Alright, I got it. Pull up, swing out.” The turtle smiled. “Ya know ya’re pretty much the only one I can trust with this? Don can’t keep a secret, like ya know. Mikey wouldn’t shut the fuck up about it, and Leo would immediately tell Splinter about it. I don’t know about Usagi yet, but he seems like he might hold it for a little bit but accidentally say something. Ya can hold a secret and not tell fuckin’ anyone about it.” 

Connor smiled as they started to walk back. “Thanks. I try to. Fuck, most of the time I forget what the secret is about… except in shit like this. But anyway, you don’t mind if I come down here every once in a blue moon?” Raph shook his head. “I don’t care, just don’t tell anyone about it or where ya are. Basically, an only-me-and-ya kinda deal, although I know ya know that by now.” The human nodded. “Got it. Thanks, Raph.” “Yer welcome. Plus, when I saw that box of parts, I expected ta pretty much hide ‘em down here. What did you get again?” Connor chuckled. “A Holley EFI system, a Comp Cams 264 grind cam kit with everything, an Edelbrock single-plane intake, a set of long tube headers, coolers for the oil and transmission, and a transmission controller.” Raph grinned. “This is gonna be so much fun.” “Oh, I know. Also, I’ll go in and tune it once I get home from our little escapade. I know what I’m doing, but I still might need to take it out on the street to get some pulls in.” 

The turtle smirked. “What kinda power are you expecting to pull out of that thing anyway?” “I don’t know, I was hoping for another hundred to hundred and fifty horsepower and about that in torque too. I’m aiming for 450 to 500 horsepower and 550 to 600 pound-feet on pump gas.” Raph started laughing. “That’s going to be insane. What about the transmission?” “Just get a tuner on it. It’s a standard 4L80E, so it won’t be too unhappy. Maybe give it three modes, a fuel economy mode, a normal one, and then a sport mode.” “So, where it either holds gears or shifts up as quick as possible?” Connor nodded. “I thought it would be a nice compromise depending on the situation. You don’t want to be holding four grand in New York traffic, and you don’t want to be locked in fourth gear when you’re trying to chase someone.” Raph nodded. “That makes sense. Alright, we’ve gotta climb out here.” 

The two then climbed up the ladder, coming out of the manhole. Walking back into the garage, Raph grabbed his phone and turned off his human generator, and Connor sighed. “Can you help me out here real quick? I need to get this fucking TV out of here and it weighs like fifty pounds.” The turtle chuckled. “Sure.” Connor popped his seat forward, and Raph grabbed the TV like it was nothing. “Where do you want this?” “In my little workshop, on the desk against the dresser on the left side.” Raph nodded as he walked toward the elevator, opening the doors and getting in. Connor smiled and shook his head as he checked his phone. There were no missed calls or texts, so no one wondered where he was. Putting the black device back into his pocket, he took one of the boxes out of the back of his car. This day had been weird so far, but Connor doubted it would go any further than that. 

About ten minutes later, both boxes of electronics were in Connor’s workshop, and he was sitting at the chair in front of his desks. All the electronics were now sorted out by type, and the human had a revelation. “Oh shit… I forgot the fuckin’...” He stood up and ran to the elevator, getting in and tapping his foot. He forgot to get the sous vide circulator. The doors opened to the garage, and Connor frantically ran to his car, locking both doors and shutting the hatch. After that, he smashed the “Open” button on the wall and the door lifted. The human then ran out of the garage, going along the sidewalk to the corner of 2nd Avenue and 52nd Street. 

Hakim’s convenience store was right there, so he walked in. Hakim looked over and smiled. “Hello again, Connor.” “Hey, Hakim. Can you tell me where your Amazon Locker is?” “It’s over on that back wall, behind the beer fridges. Would you like another one of your chopped cheeses?” “That sounds great, thank you.” Hakim nodded as he grabbed some food out of the fridge, starting to cook it on the griddle. Connor walked over to the metal locker and punched in his six-digit code. A door on the right side popped open, and he took the small Amazon package out of it. Closing the locker, he chuckled. “These things are pretty cool, aren’t they?” Hakim laughed. “Yeah, they are. What did you order, if you mind me asking?” Connor paused. “It’s a gift for a friend. I didn’t really want it on my doorstep, if you catch my drift.” The man behind the counter laughed as he wrapped up Connor’s sandwich. 

“Well, here’s this. It’ll be four bucks.” The teenager chuckled. “Well… here’s a five. Keep the change.” Hakim smiled as he took the bill. “Thank you, and have a good day, Connor.” Connor nodded as he left the small store. Hakim just chuckled and looked back at the counter as the teenager left. Connor quickly jogged back down the block, walking into the garage as it opened. Walking to his car, he popped the rear hatch open, putting the sous vide circulator in the spare tire well next to the wine. Putting the trim and carpet back in place, he sighed. The rum was starting to kick in a bit, and he was finally starting to calm down just that little amount. He shut the hatch and grabbed his sandwich, walking back into the elevator. As he pressed the button to go back down to the lair, he could only think about the day so far.

He had been both a sort of crazed fighter, and there he was having a drink in Raph’s secret room. It felt awfully weird, but Connor felt that it would end there… or will it?


	15. Revelations

Chapter 15: Revelations

RECOMMENDED LISTENING:  
Plain Jane - A$AP Ferg  
One of the more recent hot rap songs. I like it quite a lot, it also brings back a lot of feelings from Ferg’s childhood. Also, it kind of fits that he’s from Harlem.

Tournament of Tyrants - Angerfist, Tha Watcher  
“Marshal skill will decide who will live, and who will die… Only the most victorious fighters are selected, trained to punish their opponent. Thousands will enter the arena, and scream for their ultimate warriors… They step into the cage to kill.”

* * *

Monday, February 5, 2018, 8:07 PM

* * *

Connor was in his workshop, currently sitting behind a disassembled Commodore 64. It worked when he applied power, but he wanted to restore the case to its original color, not the borderline brown color it had turned to over the years. The rum he had earlier had completely worn off, and through his headphones he was listening to A$AP Ferg, lip syncing to it. As he lifted the motherboard to the computer out of its case, he heard someone call his name. He sat the board down on the table, and took off his headphones. He then turned around to see an orange-banded turtle. “Oh, hey Mikey, what’s up?” Mikey chuckled. “I have a couple of things. First, Don told me to remind you to feed Kuro, and the second is that I need some advice.” Connor chuckled. “The ever-playful Mikey needing advice from me? How novel… I don’t have anywhere for you to sit down, though.” The turtle smiled. “I can stand, that’s fine.” The human nodded. “So, what did you need advice about?” 

Mikey froze, not believing he would ask this question. “I… don’t know what to do with Nano.” Connor quirked an eyebrow. “What do you mean by ‘what to do’? Like, see him more, or is this more like a breakup type of situation?” Mikey shivered. “The first one. I wouldn’t ever want to break up with him… Even thinking about that makes me shiver.” Connor chuckled. “Alright. When’s the last time you’ve seen him?” “About three weeks ago… I think. It was way before we found you.” “So, you want to see him more, huh? I may have an idea, although you might need to talk to Usagi, Leo, and Splinter about it in that order.” Mikey grinned. “You do? Thank you, thank you, thank you!” “Whoa, hey. I have an idea, it doesn’t mean it’ll work, but I bet it’ll help you guys out. I have a question first, though. How often do you talk to him?” “Every day, all day pretty much. He has a direct link to my phone, so we can talk anytime, anywhere.” Connor chuckled. “That’s good. Has he said he wanted to move in with us or anything?” Mikey shook his head. “He just wanted to see me more often is all, he didn’t feel the need to live here full-time, because he wouldn’t get anything from it.”

Connor paused to think. “Yeah, he really wouldn’t, would he. He couldn’t really do anything we do, and he wouldn’t get much enjoyment out of it I think, because he is a robot after all…” Mikey smiled. “Also, with the way we talk all day, I don’t think any of you guys could handle it. We’re really… what’s the word…” “Affectionate?” Mikey nodded. “That. Like, I admit we are really close together. Every time we meet, I’m pretty much making out with him in an instant.” Connor groaned. “Alright, so no moving in. Fuck that. What about… if he stays here like twice a week?” Mikey’s eyes lit up. “That would be enough. What do you think we could do?” “Well, how quickly can he travel?” Mikey laughed. “He can teleport to pretty much anywhere in an instant, so that’s not an issue.” Connor nodded. “Alright, so maybe… I don’t know… he teleports here every weekend when you have no practice? He could hang out here, and Monday he goes back home to the Force?” The turtle started laughing. “That sounds great! Thank you, Connor!” The human chuckled. “Go tell the other guys first to see if that will even work. I know Leo won’t really have a problem with it, and you need to talk to Usagi to see if the Force is in a state to where that can happen… and Splinter, obviously. He’s the head honcho around here.” Mikey nodded. “Will do!” He then darted out of the room, hopping down the stairs and crashing onto the first floor. 

The human just chuckled as he stood up. He still had to feed Kuro, so that was the priority. Going down the stairs, he could see Mikey bouncing around the living room, going from person to person gushing about Connor’s idea. Leo looked back and laughed as the human went down the stairs. “Thanks for ruining our weekends, Connor.” “It was just an idea I had, and it seems like it worked. Plus, I’d like to see Mikey happy anyway… even if we have to hear the ceaseless sap from the both of them…” Leo nodded. “I’m agreeing to this idea, though. Mikey’s been talking all the time about wanting to see Nano more, and your idea works with all of our schedules.” Connor chuckled. “Alright. Don’t come crying to me when Mikey’s crawling all over that poor guy, though. It does work out with the Force though, right?” Leo nodded. “Usagi said it was fine.” “That’s great. Now, I need to feed Kuro again, if you don’t mind…” “He’s over here, Usagi’s holding him.” Connor chuckled as he reached into the fridge for the formula he made earlier. Popping it in the microwave for thirty seconds, he looked out into the living room. 

Leo and Usagi were together, the turtle’s head on the rabbit’s shoulder. Connor could only smile in reaction to the lovers’ actions. The microwave beeped, and he took the bottle of formula out. After feeding Kuro tens of times, he knew the temperature was spot-on. He walked into the living room with the bottle, and he decided to hand it to the rabbit. Usagi’s eyes widened. “You’re letting me feed him?” Connor nodded. “He’s already in your lap, so why not. You know what to do.” The rabbit’s ears perked up, and he smiled as he took the bottle. Leo saw that and smiled as well. “Watch, you are going to be a kitten whisperer like Connor soon enough.” Usagi chuckled as Kuro latched onto the bottle. “It looks like it’s going that way, but I really don’t want to be waking up every three hours to feed one. Leave that to him.” Leo chuckled. “That is true… how are you even managing it, Connor?” The human groaned. “Not well… I can’t wait for when he can feed himself, so I can actually get a good night’s sleep. That’s another three weeks from now, though…” 

Usagi chuckled. “That must be kind of hard to pull off.” Connor shook his head. “When you have a sexy turtle gently squeezing you awake, it’s not all that bad. You know exactly what I’m talking about.” The rabbit blushed a bit, and Leo laughed. “Oh, he’s done by the way.” Usagi nodded as he took the bottle out of Kuro’s mouth, handing it to the human. “I do know that feeling quite well, Connor. Isn’t that right, babe? Except instead of being hugged awake, I get the sudden ‘wake up at 6 o’clock and beg him to stay in bed for another fifteen minutes’.” Leo hung his head and Connor laughed. “He’s right, Leo, and you know it. You really don’t need to be awake every morning so early, and plus having a bit of time together before officially getting out of bed is amazing. It’s a better start to the day than having to wake up to feed Kuro, that’s for sure.” Leo nodded. “I guess I should be taking notes.” Usagi chuckled. “Yes, yes you do, babe. Anyway, Connor, what have you been up to? I haven’t seen you around down here in a while.” “I was upstairs in my little workshop working on a computer. I didn’t even know four hours passed until Mikey came in…” 

Leo chuckled. “You also get sucked into your work like Don does, I bet. That’s not great, if I must say.” Connor shook his head. “It’s alright, I was fine. Anyway, I need to go check on Don now that you mention it. I haven’t seen him around in a while, either.” Usagi chuckled. “Can we keep playing with Kuro?” The human nodded. “If he starts to look like he’s getting tired, put him back on that heating pad in his blanket. He will instantly fall back to sleep on that thing.” The rabbit nodded as Connor went up the stairs, popping his head into the lab. “Hey babe, you doing okay?” Don nodded. “You can come in if you want to, babe.” Connor chuckled as he walked the rest of the way into the lab, the turtle in his now-gray eyes. “I haven’t seen you in a while, I just wanted to see how you were doing.” Don looked up and saw those gray eyes looking longingly down his body. “That wasn’t it, was it?” Connor shook his head as he sat on top of Don, locking his lips against his lover’s. Don wasn’t surprised by the move, and he then wrapped his arms around the human, drawing him in tighter. 

Connor pulled away after a moment, smiling. “Thanks for reminding me third-party to feed Kuro, I almost forgot… and now apparently Nano is coming over every weekend, so that’s a thing.” Don groaned. “Why…?” The human chuckled. “Mikey asked for advice, and I gave it to him with a small suggestion. And Leo and Usagi agreed with me, so there’s that... Also, I don’t think a damn Commodore 64 holds a candle to you right now in priority.” The turtle smiled. “I’m glad… if a 1980s computer is magically more important than I am, we may have a problem.” Connor chuckled. “I think we would, too.” Don smiled as he pulled his lover back in, continuing the make out session. Connor snorted as he went back into it, gently playing with his lover’s tongue. Don flitted his tongue on top of his lover’s, leaning back in the chair. The human noticed the move and kept going, thrusting himself into Don’s mouth. 

The turtle was surprised by the sudden intrusion, but he grew to enjoy it before Connor pulled away, licking his lips. Don whimpered at the sudden loss, and the human chuckled. “Sorry, babe. We can’t make out forever…” The turtle sighed. “I know we can’t… but I want to quite badly.” Connor smiled. “Tonight, we have all the time in the world to make out… But I’m guessing someone is going to need my help with something soon.” Don chuckled. “I have that problem too, babe. But you have shifted some of the load off my shoulders, which I highly appreciate.” The human grinned. “Glad I could help you out, babe. Now let me get up…” He then slowly lifted himself off Don’s lap, pecking the top of the turtle’s head as he started to walk out of the lab. Don sat there and smiled as he looked back at his computer. Sometimes, interruptions were a good thing.

* * *

11:12 PM

* * *

Connor was on the couch, feeding Kuro again. The kitten was drinking from his bottle easily now, and the human looked down at the black furry creature in his hand with a smile on his face. Raph walked into the living room with a confused look. “Whatcha smilin’ about?” “Kuro… and Don really.” The kitten was done, so Connor set the bottle on the coffee table. The red-banded turtle chuckled. “Hey, do ya wanna come with me ta Case’s? I think he mentioned that April needed ta talk ta ya, although he didn’t say why.” Connor raised an eyebrow. “She didn’t say anything to me when I left her place earlier… but yeah sure, I guess I could go. I need to be back here before two though, I need to feed this little guy again then.” Raph nodded. “Gotcha. Leo said I could go, and ya might wanna tell Don…” The human hung his head. “He hates when I do this, I’ll probably have to make up for it in the morning.” The turtle started laughing. “Is that a bad thing though?” Connor shook his head while he put Kuro back into his blanket. “I’ll be right back, Raph.” 

The human went up the stairs, opening the door to the lab. Don looked over, and Connor walked further in, leaning against a wall. “What’s up, babe?” “Uh… don’t hate me, but Raph asked me if I could go with him to Casey’s… and apparently April has to talk to me for some reason. So, there’s that.” The turtle chuckled. “I can assume it’s about the car thing.” Connor’s eyes widened. “I completely forgot about that… whoops.” Don chuckled. “I’m guessing she just remembered that, too. Anyway, have fun. When do you expect to be back?” “About two. I need to feed Kuro again then, plus I hope to be back a bit earlier than that.” The turtle smiled. “You know you’ll have to pay me back for this…” Connor chuckled in a deep tone, growling a bit. “Don’t you worry your pretty little head, I’ve got that all planned out.” Don grinned. “I hope you do…” The human smiled as he left the lab, heading toward his room to grab his essentials. The ‘essentials’ for Connor used to be just his wallet, phone, and keys, but now that included his jacket and his backpack, the latter of which had a small variety of supplies, technology, and the pair of wooden tonfa in it. 

Slinging the black bag over his shoulder, Connor walked out of the room and down the stairs, meeting back up with the red-banded turtle, who had his sai on his belt. “Ya ready to go?” Connor nodded. “We going via the sewers? I’m still not in any state to drive.” Raph nodded. “Quickest way there from here… and I wouldn’t wanna risk ya driving anywhere, either. You feel alright after that, by the way?” The human nodded again. “I feel fine, it wore off a few hours ago, but it’s probably still in my blood somewhere… you still need to remember I don’t have the highest tolerance for… pretty much everything, really.” Raph chuckled as he gestured toward the door. “Let’s get outta here, then.” Connor chuckled as the turtle cracked the door open, and the two walked into the sewers. Raph latched the door, and he smiled. “It’s cool ta have someone coming with me on one of these little trips… Normally I’m all by myself.” The human smiled. “Well, I’m here now. What do you even do when you’re at his place?” “Mostly watch football or just goof around. I usta go all vigilante mode with him and start beating on Dragons, but Fearless and Splinter put a stop ta that after a while.” 

Connor paused to think, still walking alongside the turtle. “Well, would you like me to maybe come up with a solution for that, or just smile and listen?” Raph chuckled. “The second option. I already figured out how ta get all that energy out, so that’s fine now. This was like a year ago, so things have changed since then. Also, what do ya have in that bag? It looks like ya’ve gotta buncha shit in there.” Connor chuckled. “I guess I do… I have my laptop, a backup battery bank, and some other small tech shit, those tonfa, and all the other shit I had in here really. If we get into some nasty situation, I’m pretty much covered.” Raph laughed. “Ya really think we’re gonna get inta one?” The human shook his head. “No, but if we do, it’ll be nice to have. Be prepared and all.” The turtle laughed again. “Ya really sound like Don… have ya turned inta him though fucking or some shit?” Connor started laughing. “No, he goes way overkill for me even. I like having breathing room, he just piles it all in. I mean, are you faulting him for it?” Raph shook his head. “Not really… it just seems like ya’ve adopted his practices.” The human chuckled. “Birds of a feather, I guess. I still love him the same even if he throws out his back carrying that damn bag.” 

Raph chuckled. “Speaking of lovin’ him… what do ya plan for that payback?” Connor grinned. “Would being woken up with a blowjob be good enough, you think?” The turtle chuckled. “That does sound like it would be great… have ya ever tried it before?” Connor shook his head. “No, but there’s a first time for everything. Anyway, how far are we?” “About three minutes or so, then climb topside and go in through their window.” Connor chuckled. “I forget you guys always do that kinda shit. I was expecting to just go through the front door, like normal… I guess that’s the difference between the human mindset and the ninja turtle one, huh?” Raph nodded. “Ya’ll get usta it eventually.” Connor chuckled as they continued to walk, ducking up a manhole into an alley.

Raph started to climb up the fire escape on the building, and Connor took mental notes. Bankhead’s apartment was likely to be similar, and Don would have to do the same thing. He then started to climb up the series of ladders until he came across the open window leading into April and Casey’s apartment. He tried to duck in, and the lower half of his body made it in fine, but as he squeezed down, he hit his head against the window frame. “Motherfucker!” Raph looked over and laughed. “Did ya hit yer head on the window?” “Fuckin’ course I did. What else do you expect from me?” Casey piped up. “For ya not ta be here for one… Not that I have a problem with it or anythin’…” Connor smiled as he headed toward the fellow long-haired male, holding out his hand. Casey chuckled and took it, the two giving each other a firm handshake. “Nice ta see ya again, Connor.” Connor nodded. “You too, thank you for hosting me.” Casey shook his head. “It’s aight, don’t need ta thank me. Also, thanks for teachin’ April the other night… holy shit, does she drive smoother.” Connor grinned. “Seems like it was a lesson well learned. Where is she by the way?” April poked her head around the corner and smiled. “Right here. Come on, I’ve got to talk to you.” 

April then walked back through the small hallway, turning into a room on the left. Connor followed her into what looked like a home office. She took a chair, putting it next to hers at the desk. “Please, come sit down, and I don’t think you need that bag…” Connor chuckled. “Alright…” He took off his backpack, setting it on the floor before he sat in the office chair next to April’s. The woman looked over and smiled. “How has your night been so far, Connor?” “Well… I’ve fixed about four things of yours so far, so that’s a nice step.” April smiled. “That’s great! Anyway, I wasn’t calling you over here to reprimand you or anything, I just remembered about the whole finding-cars thing.” Connor nodded. “Don reminded me about that before I left earlier… To be honest, I have forgotten about it too.” “So, would you like to go through some cars, then?” “I would be glad to, April.” 

Connor then went on April’s computer, opening multiple used-car shopping websites. He started to punch in parameters rapid-fire, like how the car needed to be a coupe, rear-wheel-drive, and it must have a manual transmission. After hitting search, a variety of options came up. April’s eyes started to dart around the screen, now full of cars. “Oh, I forgot to mention I was pre-approved for a loan.” Connor smiled. “What’s the limit for the budget?” “Twenty grand, although I would prefer to hit a bit lower than that.” “Well, that still gives us quite a few options. I’m like an encyclopedia for cars, so feel free to ask any questions.” April chuckled. “You know I will… would you know most problems that happen to each of these cars?” Connor nodded. “Test me.” “What about this… BMW 335i?” “Major issues with those are carbon buildup in the intake ports and cylinder head, VANOS failures, and wastegate rattle. Other small issues do crop up, but those are the most significant. Also, in 2007 models, they don’t have oil coolers outside of the Sport-package models, so watch out for that. The N54 is a great motor, but only if you really want to add more power…” 

April started laughing. “So, avoid the BMWs then.” Connor shrugged. “Depends on what you want to do, really. But the driving I think you’re going to do, I would say so. Those are best when you’re running them wide open all the time, like if you lived in Germany and went on the Autobahn every day.” The woman nodded. “Alright, what about these Infiniti G37s?” Connor smiled. “They’re surprisingly reliable. I only know of one major issue with those in manual, and it’s the clutch slave cylinder. They fail quite often… but there are aftermarket products that completely remove it if it does fail.” April nodded. “Do you think I would like one of these, from the way I drive?” Connor nodded. “I think you would. What do you think just from looking at them?” “They look comfortable but still sporty, exactly what I’m looking for.” “It would be a great option for you, I think. This black one right here seems like a good deal to me, it has lower miles than all the rest of these, and it looks to be in great shape, but it still wouldn’t hurt to do a pre-purchase inspection.” 

The woman smiled as she bookmarked the car’s listing. “This one looks great, Connor. Thanks for helping me out with this.” Connor shook his head. “It’s alright. If I need to lend some expertise, that’s fine. Can you open up Google Maps real quick?” April nodded as she typed in the address. “What do you need to look up?” “An Infiniti dealer near the dealer that car’s at. If we call them before we even look at the car, they can go over it with all the factory documentation and stuff and tell me exactly what’s wrong with it to a fault.” April smirked. “That’s smart, Connor. I would have never thought of that… It looks like the closest dealer is 15 minutes away from the dealer, by the way.” The teenager nodded. “Sounds like a plan. Do you plan on going to see this car anytime soon?” “I mean if I don’t get it, someone else probably will. I’ll call the dealer tomorrow and see if I can reserve it… do you think maybe Wednesday or Thursday will work?” Connor nodded. “That sounds fine, it’s not like I’m doing much either of those days, anyway…” 

April chuckled as she hatched a plan in her head. “Connor… how do you feel in your relationship?” The teenager froze as he looked over at the woman. “Uh… I feel great, why?” “Well, I have a website that will make it better.” The teenager quirked an eyebrow as April typed, loading a blue-tinted website. Connor read the screen, chuckling. “Discover your partner’s hidden sexual fantasies… let me guess, this is like a questionnaire thing?” April nodded. “Basically, yeah. You go through it individually, and then at the end it compares the two. So, if you both like… I don’t know… punching each other in bed, it’ll tell you.” Connor started laughing. “Is that an option?” “Yeah, it is. Trust me, this can get kind of weird, but the similarities really help. I never knew Casey wanted to be tied up sometimes, but this told me. Our relationship has gotten so much better, I think. Plus, it wouldn’t hurt to try.” Connor nodded. “What’s this site?” “Mojo Upgrade. The name fits pretty well, I think.” The human chuckled as he saved it into his phone. “Well, I guess I’ll give that a try soon enough, thank you.” 

April laughed as she stood up out of the chair, closing the website. “I don’t really have much else for you to do right now, so I guess we can join Casey and Raph in the living room?” Connor nodded. “Sounds like a plan.” The two then left the small office, the teenager grabbing his backpack along the way. April sat on the couch next to Casey, and Connor sat in a chair on the side. The others were watching a football game, and April piped up. “Can we watch something else?” Connor chuckled. “It’s alright, April. I can deal with a football game occasionally. Fuck, I need to watch one Friday… I’m still winning that damn bet by the way.” Raph shook his head. “Fuck if ya are. That one-fifty is mine.” April’s face turned to shock. “You bet against Raph, Connor?” The teenager nodded. “I may have, yeah.” April laughed. “Good luck with that.” Casey just sat back and listened, focusing further in on the game.

Raph walked into the kitchen, opening the fridge. “Damn Case, do all ya got is shit in here?” Casey chuckled. “Don’t get one then, fine by me.” Raph shook his head, grabbing a bottle. “Connor, do you want one?” The teenager shook his head. “No, I’m good, thanks.” April shot her head over towards the teenager. “Do you even drink, Connor?” “Once in a blue moon. Not really my substance of choice, I’m afraid.” April laughed. “Alright, whatever floats your boat. I’m going to make myself something… thanks for the idea, Raph.” The turtle chuckled. “Ya’re welcome, April.” Raph sat on the couch, mumbling about “shitty piss-water beer”. Casey just grinned. “I fuckin’ told ya, didn’t I?” Raph nodded. “Like I’m gonna turn a beer down… might as well be dead.” “Yeah, I know ya wouldn’t if your life depended on it.” He then looked over as Raph sat an empty bottle on the coffee table. “Damn, for such shit beer ya seem to like it…” The turtle laid a punch on his friend’s arm. “Fucker…” Casey just laughed, and April sat down with her mixed drink. 

After about two and a half hours of conversation and joking, Raph and Connor were starting to climb out the window. April called out before Connor got his body fully out of the frame. “Thank you for the help!” “You’re welcome, now would it be okay if I left? I don’t want to be a drag on you guys.” Casey chuckled. “Yer not, don’t worry ‘bout it. Come on babe, let’s go ta bed.” April tutted as she headed toward the window, with the teenager climbing fully out of it. The woman closed the window and waved, and Connor smiled as he started to climb down the fire escape. Raph was already on the ground, waiting for him to get down. Getting down the last two rungs of the ladder, the human touched ground as Raph started to speak. “So, whatcha think about them?” 

Connor quirked an eyebrow. “I didn’t think anything different of them, why? They’re both great…?” Raph chuckled. “That wasn’t really the answer I was expectin’, but that works. Let’s get back ta the lair, huh? Doncha still need ta feed Kuro?” Connor nodded. “I do. That little fucker needs to be fed every three damn hours, maybe stretch it to four next week.” The turtle laughed. “You called him ‘that little fucker’, do you hate him?” Connor shook his head. “No, but the getting no sleep part is just great.” Raph just chuckled as they continued to the lair, walking along the dark, grimy sewer tunnels.

* * *

Tuesday, February 6, 2018, 1:48 AM

* * *

Connor cracked the door to the lair open, and the two walked into the lair quietly. Raph headed straight to his bedroom, locking the door with a click. In a house of ninjas trained in lockpicking, that extra step wouldn’t last long, but it was still a deterrent. Connor, however, went into the kitchen to make a new batch of formula for Kuro. By now, it was an automatic process, so no thought went into it. He warmed up the bottle of mixed formula, then carried it to the couch where Kuro was sleeping. Connor rubbed the kitten’s head, and it slowly started to stir. Kuro saw the bottle, and he immediately woke up, stumbling to stand up. The human chuckled as he did so, holding the bottle in position. The kitten wobbled over, latching onto the bottle slowly. Connor slowly fed Kuro, making sure he was swallowing it correctly. A minute later, the kitten was done, so the human took the bottle, wiping off Kuro’s mouth with his sleeve. Kuro mewed as he wobbled back over to his blanket, lying down into the heating pad.

The human then stood up, carrying the bottle into the fridge. He still had all his clothes and the backpack on, so he went up the stairs, quietly walking into his room. Don was in bed, snoring in a deep sleep. Connor smiled as he saw that, quickly but quietly undressing as he did so. Fifteen seconds later, he slid into the right side of the bed, pulling the blanket over him. The turtle momentarily stopped snoring as he felt the bed move, but continued shortly after. Connor just leaned over and kissed his lover, turning around after. As he set his glasses on the nightstand, he could only think about the turtle who laid six inches from him, and the payback he had planned for this still-young morning.

* * *

8:06 AM

* * *

Don started to stir, feeling something… off. Unbeknownst to the half-asleep turtle, Connor was starting to slide Don’s engorged member down his throat, sliding his tongue down the length. Don started to churr from the stimulation alone, not even recognizing his lover was causing it. “Aaah…f…” was all he could mumble as he fully opened his eyes. He saw Connor bobbing up and down, looking at him with gray eyes. “Was this the payback for last night?” The human grunted before he lifted up. “I thought it would more than make up for it.” He then went back down, and Don started to churr again, starting to speak. “Aaah… fuck yes it does, babe. Please…” Connor could only oblige to the half-spoken request, swirling his tongue around his lover’s member. The turtle continued to churr, trying to grasp his lover in any way possible, but it failed. Connor saw the move and he continued to bob up and down, getting Don further into his throat as he did so. 

The turtle couldn’t even think about what he had to do for today, just the feeling of Connor’s mouth around him, and the gesture the human made. “You were right about… ah… the making up… Shit, this feels so good.” Connor grunted as he drove himself back down, and Don gasped right after. “Babe… fuck… I’m about to…” The human grunted as he flicked his tongue on the tip of Don’s member, making the turtle instantly shudder, spraying his seed into his lover’s mouth. Connor continued the stimulation through Don’s orgasm, milking every drop out of the turtle. He swallowed the last of the semen, lifting up after. “So, how was that, babe?” Don laughed. “Well, it definitely made up for last night, that’s for sure. Where did you come up with the idea of waking me up with a blowjob?” Connor shrugged. “I don’t know, I just thought it sounded like it would work… Not that you’re complaining about it or anything.” The turtle just smiled. “You want me to reciprocate?” The human started to speak in a growl. “Oh, there’ll be plenty of time tonight for that, I think… Might want to prepare in advance unless you like pain.” 

Don grinned in response to his lover’s tone. “Going all dominant on me, huh? I’d like that for a change.” Connor smiled as he snapped out of the tone. “Good… Also, I have a little surprise for you after practice. I think it will help us both… in well… this, pretty much.” The turtle chuckled. “Alright, don’t spoil it. Let me get up first though, you’re still on top of me…” “That I am.” Connor then got up, sitting on the edge of the bed. Don finally sat up, chuckling. “Thanks for that, babe. I needed it.” His lover grinned. “You just didn’t know you needed it. What does it even feel like waking up with me sucking you off?” Don paused. “To be honest, I can’t really describe it. Amazing, really… but that’s pretty much a given, isn’t it?” Connor nodded as he got up, going into the dresser. “I might need to do some laundry soon. Starting to run low on stuff to wear, and I think those sheets need to be washed sometime… preferably today. I doubt Usagi needs laundry done, and most of your disguises are alright in that sense, so those aren’t an issue. Do you think Splinter needs his other robes washed, as well?” Don shook his head. “They’re a special material, and he insists on doing it himself. Trust me, we’ve tried.” 

Connor just laughed. “Alright, let him do his thing, I guess. Think you can make coffee this morning?” “I mean, you did yesterday, so I guess it’s my turn. Can you teach me how to use the French press? I’ve always just used the coffeemaker…” The human chuckled. “Course I could, but it’s really not a complicated process. It takes a bit more manual labor, but I think that’s a small price to pay.” “I’ll be glad to pay that price. Every time you’ve made coffee, it was so much smoother than the stuff I make…” Connor smiled. “Yeah, but first we need to get down to the kitchen to do that… you don’t even have your gear on yet and I’m already dressed, babe.” Don looked down and chuckled. “Maybe you could help me with that?” Connor turned around and licked his lips, making the turtle quiver in both excitement and fear for what his lover would do. The human slowly strutted over to the dresser, grabbing a new mask. 

Connor held the purple mask out, flattening it out in his hands before laying it over Don’s eyes. The turtle’s brown eyes showed through the slits cut in the fabric, and Connor smiled as he reached back, tying the mask in an ornate bow. Don quickly snapped his hand back and groaned. “A bow again?” Connor nodded. “And if you dare touch it… there will be punishment, per se.” The turtle turned red. “Do I want to know what that… punishment… may be?” Connor paused to think about how he would word it. “Let’s say… it involves me using an ability of yours to your disadvantage. How about that?” Don shuddered. “Okay, okay, I won’t touch it, I promise.” The human smiled. “Good. Now come on, I need to teach you how to make some coffee.” 

The two walked out of their room, and as they went down the stairs, Mikey immediately noticed the change. “Don’s mask is in a bow! How adorable!” The purple-banded turtle turned red, and Connor tutted toward him before calling out to Mikey. “Why, yes, it is… Don’t you think so, babe?” Don just continued to be embarrassed as he walked into the kitchen, pulling out the French press. Connor quickly went over to Mikey, who had a mischievous look on his face. The orange-banded turtle dropped his voice. “Is that what I think it is?” Connor nodded. “Let’s say it took some… persuasion for me to make him wear his mask like that. I think it’s cute but he doesn’t want any part of it.” Mikey smiled. “So, I guess you have the “screwing with Don” for today all taken care of?” Connor nodded again. “Please don’t fuck with him… I’m doing that enough.” 

Don called out from the kitchen. “So, babe, what do I do?” Connor held up a “wait” gesture to Mikey as he walked into the kitchen. He grabbed the coffee out of the cabinet, setting it on the counter next to the grinder. Don chuckled. “You need to grind it manually?” Connor nodded. “We don’t have an automatic grinder, so this will have to do for now. I’ll probably pick one up later if we want to keep going along with this… Anyway, if you open the lid on this, there’s a fill line. Fill the beans up to the top like this, put the lid back on, and start turning.” The turtle smiled as he took the grinder, starting to turn the handle on top. “I have a question, babe. What’s the big deal about my mask, anyway? I know it’s really not part of your dominance thing, so why?” Connor chuckled. “I just like seeing you look a bit different than usual. You see how I leave my hair up or down just on how I feel, and it’s not like that it’s that big of a deal. Plus, I think it’s cute… but if you do touch it, those terms still do apply. Also, I don’t intend on really stretching this outside of our bedroom anyway, if you get that.”

The turtle nodded. “I’m kind of glad that you weren’t… outside of this, anyway. I’ll deal with it, I promise… What was this supposed to teach me, anyway?” “Firstly, to teach you to embrace something outside your routine. Also, it’s a lesson in ‘how to not give a fuck’, if you will.” Don chuckled. “I guess I do kind of need that…” Connor nodded. “Yeah, plus it’s a little bit of ammo for me. Also, I think the grind is fine enough now, dump that into the press and do another round of ground coffee.” The turtle took the now-ground coffee, putting it into the glass vessel. “Also, thanks for teaching me how to do this, babe. I probably won’t go back to the coffeemaker after this, unless I’m like really busy or something.” The human chuckled. “That’s exactly what I was trying to do. Coffee made with a maker is alright, but eh. For this extra bit of effort, the taste is so much better, I think…” Don nodded. “I can definitely tell. Do you think Usagi would like some?” “I’ll just put it in front of him and he will pretty much have to drink it. He said it was an acquired taste, and I thought speeding up the process might make it easier.” 

Don chuckled. “So, what do I do next?” Connor looked over and paused. “Well, hot water… that we both forgot to put in the kettle. Can you fill that up?” The turtle nodded before he took the kettle to the sink, filling it with water. “How much do I need in here?” “About fifty ounces, or just over 6 cups, whichever works for you.” Don smiled. “Or… one and a half liters, if you want to go metric with it.” Connor chuckled. “Yeah, one and a half liters is fifty point something ounces, you got me there… I still need to use metric more. I’m good with temperature and speed, but in other areas I am a little rusty.” The turtle smiled in response. “I don’t think you need my help with that… by the way, put the water in to the metal band, and then what?” “Put the lid on, make sure the handle is all the way up.” Don nodded. “Is that so you press it down after?” “Yep. Now, all you need to do is wait four minutes.” 

The turtle smiled as he stepped away from the counter, looking at Connor with a smirk. “What do you think about practicing this morning?” The human shrugged. “I don’t know. Raph wanted to go against me, and I want to see how that’s going to go. He said he would be roughly equal with me if I were all amped up like I was.” Don nodded. “Splinter said the same thing to us too. Are you finding that hard to believe?” Connor sighed. “Yeah, very. I just don’t know what to think, really… Me, the five-foot-four hundred-pound twig even getting close in fighting skill to the trained six-foot-three slab of muscle in fighting skill, all down to some shit in a syringe. It’s weird, and I’m still not quite used to it. Fuck, I’m not used to living here yet.” Don sighed and quickly wrapped his arms around his lover. “It’s alright if you aren’t, babe. I love you, even if you tie my mask into a bow… Look at me.” Connor looked up, his teary blue eyes into Don’s brown eyes. “I love you. I don’t want you to ever let go of me or anyone else in this family, alright? I couldn’t let that happen.” Connor nodded, sighing. “I won’t, but I still don’t feel quite there, babe.” Don took his lover’s chin with his index finger, slowly holding Connor’s head up.

“It’ll be alright, babe. I promise that much… Now look, go in there in forty-five minutes and show me what you can do. How about that? Don’t worry about Splinter or Raph or anyone, just give it your damnedest. Can you do that?” Connor nodded. “I’ll give it a try, babe. Will you be disappointed if Raph completely wipes the floor with me?” Don shook his head. “Not really, as long as you put in a good effort. Alright?” The human nodded again, before Don gently let go to press the handle on the French press. Even if Connor was in a dominant mood in the bedroom, all he needed today outside of closed doors was comfort, and Don gave it to him in spades.

* * *

9:02 AM

* * *

Everyone in the lair was now in the dojo. The four ninjas were doing their katas, Splinter was in a chair on the side, next to Connor and Usagi. The rabbit looked over to the human with a puzzled look. “Hey Connor, I have a question, about this whole fighting situation… if you don’t mind.” Connor chuckled. “Sure, go ahead.” “So, yesterday, when you went into that… mode? What did it feel like?” “Well, I can’t really explain. It felt like this rush of energy that just flowed through my body, in a way. Like when adrenaline hits you, but in a different way really.” Usagi nodded. “That makes sense. Also, this may sound kind of weird, but could I hold your tonfa? I’ve never really tried anything other than my swords.” The human chuckled as he reached over for the wooden weapons. “I was right there with you. The closest I got to a weapon before this was using pocketknives and stuff, but it really doesn’t compare.” The rabbit held the tonfa in their defensive position, smiling. “These really aren’t for me, I’m afraid. But it seems like you can really use them, huh?” Connor nodded. “Seems like it. I still think all of this feels weird, but whatever. How are you getting on with living here so far?” 

Usagi smiled. “I’m doing fine, thank you. Granted, knowing these guys for years and knowing about how they work is one thing, but being found in the sewers is a totally different situation.” Connor nodded. “To be honest, I’m still struggling a bit, but I’ll be fine soon enough.” The rabbit smiled. “I’m glad to hear that. Also, when I fled from my world, I struggled as well. It was like a punch to the face, really. Changing worlds, going from where I was to a modern America was crazy. Also, when you took me out shopping, that helped me a lot, I must admit.” Connor chuckled. “I’m glad. Also, I noticed you started to use those headbands I got you for your ears, what do you think about that?” “They work so much better than what I had, and the different colors match my clothes, which is a nice addition. I mean, in general I do like all of the wardrobe I have now, thank you for it.” Connor waved his hand in the air. “It’s alright. April did it for me, I thought I could pay it forward. Plus, you look great, by the way. What has Leo thought about all of that?” 

“He loves it. Also, about the night I left your clothes by the door, I apologize.” Connor laughed. “It’s alright, it’s because you probably had to quickly… I’ve been there before, so it’s not a big deal.” Usagi sighed in relief. “I was just afraid it was rude.” Connor shook his head. “You know me at least a bit by now. Do you think I care about someone being polite?” The rabbit shook his head and chuckled. “No, and to be honest, it’s refreshing in a way. Back in my old society, it was a constant case of ‘respect this person utmost’ and ‘watch every word you speak’… And now I have you, who doesn’t care about anything like that. I like it, really… I don’t need to watch myself all the time, stressing out about my standing in society or anything.” The human chuckled. “That’s Japanese customs and society for you, really. People working 12-15 hours a day just to leave after their supervisor, or honoring someone way too much for the person they really are. I think you know something about that, huh Sensei?” 

The rat smiled after Connor said that. “I am afraid I do. To be honest, that is one of the reasons I fled to America two decades ago, among other things of course. Also, I tend to agree to a point, some people do tend to be honored too much in Japanese society, but then there is the opposite side of that. You do know I like being respected, both as a father and a sensei.” Connor nodded. “And there is absolutely no problem with that, Sensei. My problem is just when people have no authority to do so. Like if some middle manager type of person was trying to be this supreme leader over a group of people, for instance. In Japan, it will be annoying, but all of his subordinates will deal with it. In America, however, people are highly less likely to just ‘deal with it’, instead starting to call out the situation as ridiculous, among other things.” Splinter nodded. “I do agree with that. I saw a lot of that type of thing back home, and it was rather grating to be in those situations.” After Splinter said that though, the brothers stopped practicing their katas, and Leo stepped out of their line to start practice.

The blue-banded turtle started speaking. “So, let’s start practice. Mikey, you’re sparring against me, and Raph and Connor are together under their conditions. Don, I guess you can sit by the side today, don’t feel left out or anything.” The purple-banded turtle chuckled. “That’s alright, I guess I’m getting the best seat in the house.” Connor chuckled as he got up, taking the tonfa in his hands. Don came over and grinned, giving him a quick hug. “You’ll be alright, babe.” Connor nodded. “I got it, I promise. Just promise to take care of me if I’m hurt badly, huh?” Don chuckled. “I don’t think you’ll even get to that point. Just go over there and give it your best.” The human smiled as the turtle looked into his eyes, walking into the middle of the dojo soon after. Raph was standing in the middle with his sai in hand. Connor shivered a bit at the sight, and the turtle chuckled. “Ya aight?” Connor shook his head. “I’m not quite in that fighter mode yet… and you’re quite intimidating.” Raph chuckled. “I tend ta do that.” He then shot a look over to Leo, who nodded.

“Alright, I guess start whenever you’re ready? Connor, you don’t need to go into it fully right off the start.” The human nodded. “Thanks…” He then sighed and looked at Raph, who smiled. “I won’t go too hard on ya to start, until you get into that fighter mode, then we’ll see from there.” Leo and Mikey started their spar, the sound of nunchucks clanging against katana ringing through the dojo. Connor looked over at the two turtles fighting, snapping his head back to Raph after. He readied his tonfa and nodded. “Let’s go.” Raph nodded as he gripped his sai, swinging one toward the human. Connor blocked it with his arm, and Raph chuckled. “Ya’re not even in yer fight mode yet, huh… and ya blocked that hit like it was nothin’.” The turtle then swung his other sai toward the human, who again blocked it an inch from his side. Connor started to speak now. “Come on, give me something I can actually fight here.” Raph just smirked while he increased the fight, and the human’s eyes slowly turned from blue to green as he did so. 

The turtle noticed the switch, so he tried to lay a hit again, but Connor blocked it. The human almost missed a jab from his left sai, but he caught it well in advance of it getting even close to his body. Don was on the sidelines, watching the ongoing spar with full focus. Connor chuckled as Raph tried to hit twice more, but got blocked. “Is that all you got? Come on, this is pretty damn easy, you haven’t even gotten a single hit in yet.” “Do ya want all of what I got?” The human nodded. “Fuck it, why not.” Raph chuckled before he spun his sai around on his fingers. Connor charged in with his tonfa flipped around, getting two hits in before Raph even had his sai ready to go. Splinter saw that and smiled, making a mental note. Raph grinned as he got into the fight, the two going back and forth between defense and offense. The sound of sai against tonfa started to sound in a distinct rhythm through the dojo. Leo and Mikey stopped their fight to witness the human and the red-banded turtle going at it.

Connor started to mumble out lyrics to music as he continued to fight, the tempo of the fight matching up perfectly to the song in his head. “My left, right, and uppercut will knock you out… tournament of tyrants!” He then increased his fight as the climax of the song was playing in his head. The 175 beats per minute bass kicks were going along with every hit he and Raph had thrown, and the turtle noticed the sudden energy coming from the human. He could barely continue to block the constant barrage of hits Connor was laying, those wooden tonfa hitting his arms and torso multiple times. In comparison, Raph had only laid a single hit on the human, and it wasn’t even on purpose. Splinter looked onto the fight, noticing Raph’s stamina was starting to wear down. The pounding hardcore electronic music continued to play in the human’s head, however. He didn’t seem like he was slowing down at all, instead holding the increased pace. The two continued to trade blows, the two wooden tonfa going against the two sai. 

After about five minutes of the quick fighting, Raph was starting to lose his stamina. ‘How did the human still have the energy in him to go this long?’, he wondered as he continued the fight. However, while he pondered that, Connor flipped his right tonfa into a reverse grip and struck Raph’s chest with his left. A jab in the solar plexus took the turtle by surprise, and while he jerked, the handle of Connor’s right tonfa hooked around the guard of Raph’s left sai. The human quickly jerked the handle out of Raph’s hand, slinging the sword to the ground. Raph called out “Holy shit! Stop!” while Connor still white-knuckled the tonfa in his right hand. The human looked around, noticing everyone was staring at him with wide eyes, and Raph was bent over, panting. Leo went up to the human, still with a shocked look on his face. “Are you alright? You just completely took Raph by surprise and it looks like you were still about to keep wailing on him after.” 

Connor looked down at his right hand. He still hadn’t let go of the tonfa, still holding the shaft of it in his hand, the handle facing down. “I’m… sorry. I don’t know what got into me just there…” Leo smiled. “It’s alright… you just surprised us, is all. You okay Raph?” The turtle nodded as he stood back up. “God, can he fight. I was worn out at the end of all of that.” Connor quirked his eyebrow. “Really? I can’t believe it.” Raph chuckled. “You defeated me, fair and square. Also, I’m calling off our training session after this, I can’t even think straight after that. You must have been one of the hardest opponents I have been against, ever.” Splinter just grinned after seeing the end of the fight. He knew Connor was special, but he couldn’t even fathom he could defeat his strongest student. The human just shook his head as he took the tonfa and walked out of the dojo, saying nothing as he went up the stairs and into his room. He sat the weapons on the bed and grabbed his keys, going into the elevator after. 

Leo saw all of this and looked at Don. “You think he’s alright?” The purple-banded turtle shook his head. “Earlier in the kitchen he said he couldn’t even believe he got close to Mikey’s fighting skill, but defeating Raph must have been an eye-opening experience, I guess. Hell, I don’t know his psychology well enough to even guess what he’s doing.” “I just hope he doesn’t get into any trouble.” Don chuckled. “He’s smart, a genius in fact. Whatever he ran into the elevator for, he knows it’ll help him out in this situation, so…” Right at that instant, however, a high-pitched tire squeal rang through the walls of the lair. Don smiled. “And that’s exactly what I figured he would be doing. Driving at full blast calms him down, at least he said that.” Raph paused. “I think I have an idea of where he’s goin’, but I’m not so sure. Should I go and try to look for him, considering I’m the one he was just fightin’?” Leo nodded. “Maybe in a little bit. Don, can you track where he’s going?” 

Don nodded. “If he brought his phone with him, yes I can. I’ll go check.” He then stood up, heading out of the dojo and into his lab. Leo sighed. “I just hope this won’t be a common thing…” Usagi shook his head. “I doubt it will, babe. This must have really broken something inside him, a sore point if you will.” Splinter nodded. “Connor said to me yesterday that he wasn’t completely… healed… if you will. I fully expect things like this to happen, so I have no problem with it as long as he doesn’t get into any sort of problem in it, of course.” Mikey nodded. “Also, think about it, Leo. He’s probably going somewhere to where he can feel safe and think about this whole situation without anyone prying about what he thinks or how they can help. Remember how I said this will all mostly have to be done by himself? This is one of those. Just let him be, I know he’ll be back soon safe and sound. He doesn’t go like Raph to beat up Dragons when he’s mad or anything, so I don’t think we really need to worry. If he’s going out to drive, that’s fine because he is the best driver we know, and you know that. He taught you how to do a reverse one-eighty, like come on.”

Leo smiled. “He did, that’s true. I’m sorry I’m overreacting, I tend to do that in situations like this.” Splinter shook his head. “No need to apologize, Leonardo. I’m holding a positive view of this situation, so we shall see how it goes.” The blue-banded turtle nodded. “Well, let’s get into the living room or whatever, that’s better than sitting in the dojo stressing out.” “That is true, my son. Please, lead the way.” Leo, Splinter, Usagi, and Mikey walked out of the dojo, each in a different state of stress… but it was all frivolous, even Leo knew it.

* * *

9:53 AM

* * *

Connor lifted the manhole cover in the alley, slowly climbing down the ladder. He slid the metal disc back into place, climbing down the rest of the way. The orange work lights dotted throughout the tunnels gave enough light for him to see, so he started to walk. Turning right at the black stain, he came across the wall-turned-door. He tapped twice on the left stain and once on the right, and it popped open. He slowly pulled the door open, poking his head in. No one was inside, so he closed it and sat on the couch, exhaling. He yelled “I CAN’T FUCKING BELIEVE IT!” before he put his head in his hands, starting to tear up. He defeated Raph in a fight he didn’t even want to be a part of. That mutagen’s powers were a vast unknown until now, when it could be quantified. 

He tried to hold back the wave of tears as he sat his glasses on the coffee table in front of him. The soreness from the fight had started to kick in a while ago. His stamina had completely worn down, with his head starting to bob up and down a bit. He sighed and laid down on the couch, closing his eyes. Soon after, he went to sleep. His body in fight mode had all the energy in the world, but when he reverted to normal human mode, he was completely wiped out, laying on the couch in Raph’s secret room. At least it was better than being questioned by Leo, or called into Splinter’s shoji for one-on-one conversation. Granted, that was going to happen eventually, but going to sleep on the couch was at least a temporary leave from all the thoughts Connor had been having.

Forty-five minutes later, Raph was climbing into the sewers, sliding the cover back into place. He started to walk down the sewer tunnels, muttering “I know he’s gonna be in here for fucks’ sake…” He then turned right, coming across the door to his secret room. He tapped the secret code, and the door popped itself open. He popped his head in and saw the human laid out across his couch, quietly snoring. The turtle then quietly went into the room, slowly closing and latching the door. He went behind the counter of the bar and pulled a beer out of the fridge, a decent IPA. Raph chuckled because it was worlds better than the multiple light lagers he had at Casey’s house the night before. 

He started to open the bottle, and the sound of the pressure escaping made Connor stir again. “Wait, whuh…?” was all he could mumble before he sat up, rubbing his eyes. He turned around and saw the red-banded turtle in the bar area, holding a beer in his hand. “Mornin’, beautiful… I knew I’d find ya here.” Connor groaned. “How long have I been out?” “I dunno, but it’s ten forty-five right now. You want a drink?” The human shook his head. “That’s the last thing I need right now. Fucking hell…” Raph chuckled as he sat down on the couch next to Connor. “Ya aight? Ya just fuckin’ ran off.” “Now I am… but man. I still can’t believe I fought you and… won? Are you alright, did I hurt you or anything?” Raph shook his head. “I’m a little sore and a bit bruised where ya hit me a couple of times, but other than that I’m all good.” Connor smiled. “That’s good… Man, when I was in that fight mode I could have just kept going, but when I got in here I just passed out. I guess the limitless energy I have in that mode has to draw from somewhere, huh?” Raph nodded before he chuckled. “When ya were fighting me, ya were mumbling something about a… tournament of tyrants? The fuck is that?” The human laughed. “It’s a song, hardcore electronic. That song is like pounding, and its tempo matched the one we were fighting in to a tee, every hit we both threw was on beat with every bass kick.”

Raph chuckled. “Is that it, the song was playing in your head and you fought in time with it?” Connor nodded. “It worked, I guess. Sorry I surprised you by launching your sai out of your hand.” The turtle shook his head. “That’s alright. You taught me something in all of that, really.” “Really?” “Yeah. To watch when someone’s gonna latch onto the damn guard of my sai and try to yank it from my hand.” Connor started laughing. “Yeah, I guess that’s a lesson learned.” Raph grinned. “I think I should tell Leo ta stop making ya spar with us, because fuckin’ hell. You beat me, ya can beat literally anyone out there.” The human looked confused. “You serious?” “Completely. Ya see, I kinda have a fighter mode too, when I am pissed about something. I want to just beat a hole in something or someone. But with you, it’s kind of controlled to when you’re in a fight. You can be our surprise factor, in a way. This gentle little dude who turns into literally the Hulk… that’s gotta do something when we’re fighting with some Foot or some Dragons.” 

Connor paused to think. “I have an idea, although it may sound dumb. What if we got another sample of the shit I was injected with and Don can extract the chemicals that make me this crazy fighter and make it a temporary thing for a battle?” Raph shook his head. “Nope, that won’t really work. First off, it’s pretty much cheating… which is completely against our code. Also, I’m no expert in chemistry, but I doubt extracting just those chemicals would make us into the sort of fighter ya are. We’re already trained and all, so that’s our automatic self-defense mechanism. Yers is just snap into this mode and go... It works for ya, going from this scrawny teenager who can’t even really knock someone out ta a… fuckin’ scary weapon. If ya were an enemy of ours, you would pretty much be on the top of the list.” Connor smiled. “Well, if that’s a compliment, I’ll take it. Thanks for hearing me out… I am finally now starting to get to grips with this whole fighter thing, really. It’s weird, to say the least.” 

Raph chuckled. “It’s weird for us to see, too. It’s like ya have a superpower or some shit.” Connor grinned. “Almost like I’m Clark Kent, and in my fight mode I’m Superman… in a way at least. I don’t want to parade it like Mikey though… thinking he’s the Turtle Titan and all that bullshit. I mean it’s cool he’s proud of himself, but god damn.” The turtle laughed. “Yeah, that’s Mikey for ya. What do ya think about that Turtle Titan thing, anyway?” “I mean, if he likes doing it along with the Force, then so be it. I really can’t give a shit, honestly. If he doesn’t drag me into anything relating to it, I really don’t want to care.” Raph chuckled. “I get it, and that sounds like you, really. Also, I had a question.” “Shoot.” “When you were in that mode, did you feel anythin’? Anger, fear, sadness?” Connor shook his head. “None of those, but I had this overwhelming urge to just keep going, hurt or kill whoever I was fighting. I mean, it’s common sense, but when you yelled out, it finally snapped me out of that. Pretty much saved your ass, if I’m being honest.” Raph’s eyes widened. “You kiddin’?” The human shook his head. “Honestly, yeah. I am not kidding.” The turtle chuckled. “Remind me to never fuck with you, because holy shit.”

Connor smiled and then sighed after. “Thanks… and no thanks. I really didn’t want to hurt you or anything, and if you didn’t snap me out of that, I probably would have. I feel like shit about it, sorry.” Raph shook his head. “It’s aight, don’t worry about it. Also, another quick question.” Connor chuckled. “What is it?” “Where the hell didja put yer car?” The human laughed. “I parked over on 57th. You probably heard when I popped the clutch coming out of the garage.” Raph nodded. “Sounded like you were having fun.” “Well, I had to make it sound like I was speeding off somewhere. I just went to 57th and parked on the side, and walked over to here.” The turtle chuckled. “That’s a pretty damn smart idea for a quick getaway to get down here. Did you just impulsively go here, or what?” “Well, when I was in the elevator I figured here was the place I could go and relax… before you moseyed on in here, at least. I left my phone in the garage so Don couldn’t track me, so there’s that. He doesn’t know if I am in damn Pennsylvania by now, which is kind of a good thing, but then when I get back I know he’s gonna be crawling all over me…”

Raph laughed. “At least it’ll be for a good reason, he’s going to be relieved when he sees you alive and completely alright. I guess this little break from the family was all you needed, huh?” Connor nodded. “We can go back now, I’m good… How do you think it’ll be like when I get back?” The turtle paused. “Well, Leo and Mikey already know ya’re gonna need some time off here and there to recoup… Don is gonna be worried about you, Usagi knows yer struggle, and Splinter is fine with ya going off here and there as long as ya don’t get inta trouble… so I think ya’re good.” Connor sighed in relief. “Alright. I think it’s time we left. I still need to get to my car and drive that damn thing back home.” “How long do ya think it’ll take to get to it?” “If we run through the alley going north, about three minutes or so.” “Aight, let’s get a move on.” The human nodded as he pulled himself off the couch. “Also, I forgot to mention, this couch is awfully comfortable to sleep in. Thanks for letting me use this room and all, I know I said it yesterday, but still.” Raph smirked. “It’s aight. If it helps ya out, that’s great. Ya needed the break, and I guess sleeping on my couch was one.” The turtle then unlatched the door, and Connor slunk by, walking into the sewer tunnel.

Eight minutes later, Connor was twisting the key in the driver’s door of the Escort. He got in and quickly unlocked the passenger’s door, and Raph quickly hopped in. He didn’t have his human generator on, so all the less sightings he had was the better. The turtle started to ball his fists up. “Come on, let’s fuckin’ get out of here!” Connor chuckled as he twisted his key in the ignition, popping his car into first gear. He pulled out when there was a lull in traffic, quickly jumping on the gas and slamming it into second. Raph grinned when Connor did that, laughing when he went into the turn lane for 2nd Avenue. “I guess ya’re really tryin’ to get home quick, huh?” Connor nodded as he turned left. “You’re in my car with no human generator on, you know I gotta make it quick.” He then gunned it in second, holding as much speed as he could through traffic, weaving in between lanes to quickly get to 52nd Street. 

The right turn arrow for 52nd had just turned green, so Connor gunned it in second up to forty-five miles per hour, quickly jabbing on the brakes as he turned in. The right rear tire hit a stagnant puddle, and it started to slide out with the weight transfer Connor applied. He quickly countersteered, putting in throttle to balance out the back end. Raph just chuckled. “Got a little loose on ya, huh?” “Yeah, it did. It’s alright, I caught it.” The human then let off the gas, rev matching down to first gear, to engine brake into the garage. The Escort wasn’t too happy with that decision, buzzing around at the higher RPM Connor had held. However, he turned into the driveway for the garage, and the door lifted as he did so. He continued the engine braking down the ramp, turning into his lift bay. As Connor parked his car, Raph got out, picking his phone up off the workbench. “Well, no one called or texted me, so that’s good. Want me to check yours?” Connor shook his head. “I’ll get it, thanks for asking though.” Raph nodded. “I guess I’ll see ya back downstairs. Need anything else while I’m up here?” “Nope, I’m good. Thanks for helping me out with all of this bullshit.” “Not a problem, Con.” 

Connor stared out his windshield with a blank face. Con? Only his dad called him that… “Did you really just call me Con?” “Yeah, why?” “My… FUCK!” The human started to sob, quickly blotting the tears away from his eyes. Raph quickly spun around, sprinting into Connor’s passenger’s seat. “Man, I’m sorry… I didn’t know…” Connor sighed. “It’s alright… just try not to call me by that again, please. It just reminds me of my dad, and I still really miss him.” Raph nodded. “You think you’ll be alright?” “Yeah, just give me a minute… damnit.” The turtle quickly departed for the elevator, while Connor sat in his car, breathing in and out to calm down. He beat his hand on the dash for no reason, but he sighed and got out of his car. Walking over to the workbench, he picked up his phone. There were no new notifications, from his parents or otherwise. Did they give up? Connor shook his head, not even allowing that thought into his head. 

He took the phone and put it into his pocket. His keys were still in his hand, so he put those in his pocket as well. “I need to get a lanyard for those,” he thought as he pressed the button for the elevator. Getting into the metal box, Connor sighed again. How could a three-letter nickname make him so emotional? The doors to the lair opened, and Don borderline knocked Connor over with a hug. “Oh my god babe, I was worried about you. Are you okay?” Connor chuckled. “I’m fine. I just needed some time to think and finally get it into my head that all of this is the way I am now.” Don smiled. “That’s good… I was just worried because I heard you peel out of here earlier. Did you do anything… well… dangerous in your book?” Connor shook his head. “No, I promise. Coming back here, the back end got a bit loose on me, but that was nothing… And I’m sorry I made you worry, I didn’t mean to.” His lover just squeezed a bit tighter. “I’m just glad you’re okay, that must have been kind of overwhelming earlier.” The human chuckled before he nodded. “Alright, alright. Can you let go, it’s like you’re a boa constrictor. If you want to kill me, that’s not a way to do it.” Don grinned as he let go. “Also, everyone saw that fight… you surprised me.” 

Connor sighed. “Raph said that too, and I was fuckin’ fighting him. He helped me figure out what to do when I got into that mode, which I really did need… I like having control over myself, even in a state like that, but I was toeing that line earlier. Kinda scared me.” Don just put his head on Connor’s shoulder as the human lead them down the stairs. “You know, I was thinking about you even when I was out there, babe.” Don’s eyes widened. “Really? That’s not something I expected you to say, ever.” Connor smiled as he reclined on the couch. “Yeah, I’m not kidding. I seriously thought about what you would say when I came back, and I wasn’t too far off in all of it.” Don just leaned over to lay on top of his lover, glad that he was back. “I missed you, babe.” Connor chuckled. “I figure. You always seem to miss me whenever I’m out of your sight.” The human wrapped his arm around his lover, squeezing gently. Leo walked into the living room and smiled at the sight of the two lovers. “Well, it looks like you’re back and all back to normal. That’s good.” Connor nodded. “I’m fine now. Sorry for running off like that.” The blue-banded turtle shook his head. “It’s alright, I figured that would happen again sometime. Also, it looks like you’re not going to spar with any of us again, Raph told me you scared him in that fight near the end.”

The human nodded. “Yeah, he said I was like some sort of ‘fuckin’ scary weapon’, so take of that what you will. It’s all starting to click now.” “Well, that’s good. Maybe if we went on a patrol tonight, do you think that would help you?” Connor nodded again. “Sounds like a plan. I just hope I don’t find any more kittens… one is more than enough.” Leo laughed. “No more kittens, hopefully. There’s been no signs of Dragons or Foot around anywhere in the past week, I’m guessing it’s going to be more usual petty crime type of things tonight. You’re alright with that, right?” “Yeah, sounds good. It just seems like New York has been kind of sleepy ever since I showed up here. Maybe it’s some sort of aura I put off, saying to ‘stay away from you guys or else?’” Leo shrugged. “Whatever it is, we haven’t had to go out and fight anyone in a week, so whatever you are doing seems like it is working. Anyway, I gotta go and talk to Splinter, so excuse me.” 

As Leo left, Kuro meowed. Connor looked at his watch and groaned. “Fuck, I forgot I had to feed him. It’s past eleven, and he’s probably hungry…” Don smiled. “I’ll get it for you, babe. Is there any formula in the fridge?” “Yeah, there’s some made up in the bottle on the top shelf. 105ish degrees, I think you can get it.” His lover smiled and sat up. “I’ve already fed him once, I think I can do it again.” Connor smirked. “I know you can, but I’m still a bit obsessive about caring for him, you know.” Don chuckled as he walked into the kitchen. “Yeah, I know that babe. It’s alright, but kind of funny.” He then popped the formula into the microwave. “How long do you usually put it in for?” “About thirty seconds, but with that amount I’d do twenty.” Don nodded and put the formula into the microwave for twenty seconds. The white box beeped, and he took it out, carrying the plastic bottle into the living room. “Is this warm enough?” Connor felt the bottle and nodded. “It’s bang on. Kuro, come over here.” The kitten wobbled over to Connor, who held out the bottle. 

After Kuro had been fed, and the bottle washed out, Connor reclined back down on the couch. Don laid back on top of him, and the two just sat there. The human started to speak. “I’m like exhausted right now. All that fighting I did earlier seems to sap energy out of my body, which is common sense. I’m guessing when I’m in that fight mode the ceaseless energy is just a façade for what my body is doing, giving me the ability to fight until I literally pass out.” Don looked up into Connor’s eyes and smirked. “At least you figured that out… are you going to sleep out here, you think?” “I really don’t want to move… so probably. Is that alright with you?” “I have nothing to do, so why not. I could lay here and relax with you for a while.” Connor smiled. “Thanks, babe.” He then shifted a bit on the couch, giving Don a bit more room to slide alongside. 

Connor kissed Don before he laid back down, closing his eyes. The turtle who laid next to him was also relaxed, simply enjoying the moment that they had together. In this family, moments like this were hard to come by.

* * *

12:23 PM

* * *

A loud banging sound resonated right above Connor’s head, and he darted awake. “What the fuck?!” Mikey was above him, laughing. “It’s time for you to wake up, isn’t it?” The human’s eyes started to glow red, and the turtle immediately ran away, dropping the two pots he had in his hands. Connor yelled “YOU MOTHERFUCKER!” before darting off the couch. His shoulder was stiff from Don’s head laying on it for the past hour, but that didn’t stop him from taking the pot Mikey dropped. He flung it across the living room as Mikey was running alongside the dining room table. The pot met the back of his head, knocking him onto the floor. “Why did you do that?” Connor chuckled in a deep tone. “That’s what you get for waking me up, cocksucker…” He then sat back down on the couch, and Don started to stir. “What happened?” His lover chuckled. “Mikey woke us up clanging pots together, I hit him with one said pot. Nothing much.” 

Leo darted out of the dojo with a confused look. Connor and Don were on the couch, now awake, and Mikey was in the kitchen holding his head. “What happened here?” Connor grinned. “Well, Mikey decided it was a good idea to wake me and Don up by banging two pots together, so I got pissed and flung one directly to the back of his head. Call it a lesson, ‘don’t wake Connor up unless it’s absolutely necessary’, if you will.” Leo shook his head. “Michelangelo, didn’t I tell you not to wake him up? He needed the rest after that fight with Raph, and you knew it.” Mikey groaned. “You did… I guess I deserved it this time.” The blue-banded turtle nodded. “Yes, yes you did. How hard did you hit him with it, Connor?” The human shrugged. “About seventy percent strength or so. Not too crazy.” Mikey groaned. “That was seventy percent? I don’t want to imagine all-out…” Leo nodded. “You didn’t want to crack his skull, did you?” Connor shook his head. “Then I’d have to get Don to fix it, and I doubt he wanted to do that.” Don chuckled and shook his head. “Thanks for thinking about that, babe.” 

Connor smiled. “You’re welcome… Anyway, that is all that happened, Leo. Sorry to ruin your second practice or whatever it was.” Leo shook his head. “It’s alright. I apologize on Mikey’s behalf here, you must have been pretty worn out.” Connor nodded. “Do you need me to explain or no?” Leo shook his head. “I get it, fighting like that with endless energy draws from your normal self, possibly to exhaustion. We’ve had enemies that have done that before, although it’s uncommon, to say the least. You’re good now though, right?” The human chuckled. “Well, since Mikey woke me up, I’m probably going to need some more coffee.” The orange-banded turtle groaned. “I’m still sorry about waking you up like that, I thought it would be funny.” “Well, it wasn’t. That’s why I aimed that pot right for your head, I hope you get a headache from it… Remember what I said about harmless?” Mikey nodded. “You’re fine with it as long as it doesn’t harm anyone or anything…” “Yes, and you harmed me… again. So, I had to hurt you a bit. The pain is temporary, but the lesson is permanent.” 

Mikey rubbed the back of his head again, cringing. Connor didn’t look very strong, but he did hit the turtle pretty hard with that pot, in both physical and mental means.

* * *

2:53 PM

* * *

Connor was in his workshop, stumped. He was trying to figure out how to restore the plastics of the old computers he was working on. Over time, UV light turns the plastic from its normal gray or beige color to a brown. The Commodore 64 and the Apple LC2 he had were both in that state, both hideously discolored. He stood up, shaking his head. He walked across the hall to Don’s lab. Opening the door, the turtle looked over. “Hey babe, need anything?” Connor nodded. “Some advice, really.” He sat down next to Don, who looked over. “What’s up?” “Well, the plastics on these old computers are all discolored. You know how it works, the fire retardants in them and stuff discolor over time in reaction to UV light… And I know of a way to restore the plastics, but I need to scale it up.” Don quirked an eyebrow. “How do you restore it in the first place?” “Well, there’s two major ways that work. Using hydrogen peroxide mixed with heat or UV light is the first, and using ozone gas and UV light is the second.” Don nodded. “Well, I guess we can come up with an option that works… Is this a case of you need help figuring out the reaction that will work best, or?” 

Connor shook his head. “I can wrap my head around that part, that’s fine. I just need to scale up… I also need some stronger hydrogen peroxide.” The turtle chuckled. “Is it that the 3% stuff doesn’t work quite well?” “Not just that, I like concentrating things a bit more. The normal peroxide works fine, but it takes longer.” Don nodded. “Well, I have some fifteen percent around here, think that’ll work?” Connor smiled. “Yes, it would. But, see… I need to submerge a computer case in water and hydrogen peroxide, and then subject it to temperatures between 140 and 160 degrees… And it’s too cold outside to use the sun.” Don paused. “Well… have you heard of sous vide?” The human nodded. “Yes, I have. Keeping water at a certain temperature to cook food through. There’s a problem with that, we don’t have an immersion circulator to do it.” Don shook his head. “Just use boiling water and ice to keep it relatively in the right spot in a cooler or something, until you can order one of those?” Connor chuckled. “That’ll work, I guess. Thanks, babe. Also, where is that peroxide?” 

“Up on the shelf in the infirmary, with a blue cap.” Connor nodded. “Thanks, babe. I kept overthinking it, as I tend to do.” Don smiled. “You’ve helped me out with stuff like this before, so it’s only fair I do the same for you.” The human grabbed the bottle off the shelf, and headed back toward his lover. Connor kissed Don, who reciprocated the gesture. “I love you, babe.” The turtle grinned. “I love you too… also don’t use too much of that stuff, it’s thirty bucks a bottle.” Connor’s eyes widened. “I am going to find another way to do this cheaper, don’t worry. This is just a temporary solution… but holy shit, thirty bucks…” Don groaned. “I forgot about that, since I don’t use it that much. If you can find a cheaper source for high-strength hydrogen peroxide, let me know.” Connor chuckled. “You bet I will, I don’t like seeing you being taken for a ride like that. Anyway, I’ll try this out. Thanks for the help, babe.” “No problem, I hope it works out alright.” The human smiled and walked out of the lab, holding the bottle of peroxide. 

Connor went down to the kitchen, digging around the cabinets for the biggest pot he could find. There was a large stock pot in the bottom cabinet. He took it out and chuckled. Leo snapped his head back, looking at the human. “What are you chuckling about, Connor?” “This pot, how much does it hold?” “About four gallons, why?” “That’s perfect!” He then filled the pot to the top, putting it on the biggest burner on high heat. Once it turned on, he went up to the elevator, getting in. A minute later, he was in the storage closet of the garage, dragging a large insulated cooler out of it. He sat it on the floor next to the workbench, and poured a decent amount of the peroxide in. Closing the bottle, he smiled. Finally, he could get the plastics on these computers to actually look like new.

Ten minutes later, he was taking the boiling pot of water off the stove, slowly and carefully carrying it up the stairs. Borderline-boiling water is still very hot, and Connor didn’t want to burn himself. As he got into the elevator, he sat the heavy pot down. As the elevator whirred up, the water moved just enough to roll around the rim of the pot. The human’s stomach was in his throat as the doors opened, that boiling water was about to be all over his feet. After a heart-wrenching minute and a half, he started to pour the hot liquid into the cooler, mixing with the hydrogen peroxide. When the cooler was full, Connor sat the pot down, grabbing the plastic cases, slowly submerging them into the mixture. He put the lid on and sighed. He didn’t spill a drop of the boiling water through the entire journey to the garage, which surprised him. 

Three minutes later, he was back in his workshop, tapping his foot. He was anxious to see how the hot water treatment will work for the discolored plastics, but his next job was to figure out what was wrong with the big TV. He couldn’t test any of these computers without some sort of display, so that was the next priority. He took his biggest Phillips screwdriver and started removing screws out of the back cover, keeping them in a small dish on the side. He made that a habit, because when he worked on electronics back home, he lost screws all the time. Once all the screws were out, he tried to wrench the back cover off. It wasn’t just screwed in, but it looked like there were clips around the edge as well. Carefully popping each one open, the human finally got into the CRT screen, cringing soon after. 

Inside the TV was the actual CRT diode itself, and a mess of boards and wires going every which way, barely organized in any way. It was what an old electronic technician would call a ‘peek-and-shriek”, due to the reaction you had when you opened the device. Luckily, the loose component connectors were one of the easiest things Connor could be fixing, just resoldering them in place. The bad part was that he still didn’t have that soldering station yet, it was still being mailed to April’s shop. So, the human just stood up, giving up on the work for today. He still didn’t have many tools, and that soldering station was a big one, especially for electronics repair. 

He pulled out his phone, calling April. She had planned to go look at that Infiniti G37 tomorrow… and that could be a nice point of revenge for Mikey. The pot to the head wasn’t enough, Connor felt. The phone rung three times, and the woman picked up. “Hey Connor, what’s up?” “God, it feels like I’m calling you every day or some shit now… I have a couple of things to talk about, if you don’t mind.” “Sure, what is it?” “Well, how are the plans going for that car?” “Good, actually. I called the dealer and they said that they’re free tomorrow for me to go and look, and if I liked it, they’ll take my loan as-is… Why do you ask?” “I just needed to make sure the plans stuck, and uh, I need that time with you for some revenge, shall we say.” April laughed. “What happened?” “Mikey woke me up earlier by clanging pots together when I was on the couch with Don… so I hit him in the head with one of them. I don’t think he’s learned his lesson. So, if I leave with you and leave my car locked here with his Xbox in it… Don’t you think that would work?” April laughed again. “You know what, it might. Plus isn’t that the family’s Xbox, anyway?” “Yeah, it is. He just treats it like it’s his. Give him a day to actually think about what he’s done to everyone as a ‘prank’.” The woman chuckled. “Alright, I’ll help you out with that. Anything I can do?” “Yeah, pick me up before he wakes up, so he’ll have to call me and whine.” April laughed. “Alright. 6:30 work?” “Yeah, it does.” “Okay, can do. Thank you for helping me out with all of this, by the way.” “You’re welcome, April. Talk to you later?” “Yep. Goodbye, Connor.” She then hung up, the call going to silence.

A light bulb flicked on in Connor’s head. He forgot to go through that questionnaire thing with Don. He quickly went into the lab, and the turtle was unfazed by the sudden appearance of his lover. “Came to join me, babe?” Connor shrugged. “That, and something else… Remember how I had a surprise for you?” “Yeah… why?” “Open up a web browser and let me type in something.” Don slid over the keyboard and Connor punched in the URL for the Mojo Upgrade site. Don looked at the site and laughed. “This was the surprise, a sexual questionnaire?” Connor nodded. “April told me she tried it with Casey, and she raved about it. So, I thought I’d give it a try with you. It basically takes your personal fantasies and fetishes and matches them up to your partner… Maybe it might tell us something, I don’t know.” The turtle smiled. “Well, I’m open to see what this is all about…” Connor then clicked on the single computer option, typing in his and Don’s names and clicking ‘advanced mode’ before clicking ‘Go!’. “Well, it says it’s your turn first… I’ll just get out of here. Beep my phone when you’re done.” Don nodded. “Alright, I love you.” “Love you too… that’s why I’m leaving. I don’t need to hear your commentary as you take this… but fair warning, it gets kind of weird.” 

Don just chuckled and shook his head as Connor left the lab, heading down the stairs. As he sat back down on the couch, Splinter looked over and smiled. “How is it going, Connor? I haven’t seen you in a little bit.” Connor chuckled. “I’m fine, thank you for asking. I just opened a television to fix it, and it is a nightmare inside. Wires and circuit boards scattered everywhere… I just gave up on fixing anything else for today, really.” The rat chuckled. “I would have given up as well, my son. At least you have the skills to fix it, as opposed to how I would not. What is wrong with it, if I may ask?” “Oh, there’s multiple loose connections inside, and I don’t have the tools to fix them yet. Don ordered a soldering station for me, but it hasn’t arrived yet.” Splinter looked confused. “What is soldering?” Connor smiled. “It’s basically taking a metal and melting it, so it fills in between two conductive surfaces. You usually solder wires together, or solder something onto a circuit board. As you may know, electronic devices have a lot of things that need to be fully connected, otherwise it won’t work or won’t work correctly.” 

Splinter nodded. “I understand, surprisingly. Thank you for breaking it down like that, Connor. I appreciate it.” The human nodded. “You’re welcome. And it’s no problem for me to break anything down, just ask.” His phone played that Nextel-like sound, and Connor chuckled. “I have to go and finish something real quick, excuse me Sensei.” The rat smiled as the human got up, heading back up the stairs. Splinter turned around to see Connor heading back into the lab, assuming nothing. Don snapped his head right, to see his lover coming back into the room. “You’re done?” The turtle nodded. “And you weren’t kidding about this being weird… There’s a question about if you want to sling pies on your partner…” Connor laughed. “Yeah, that one’s kinda fucked up. Anyway, let’s swap seats so I can get my turn.” Don stood up, getting in the chair facing away from his computer. “I won’t look, I promise.” His lover chuckled as he got behind the keyboard. “I know you won’t. Anyway, I’ll get through these real quick.” “Have you already looked at the questions?” “Yeah, I looked through them once to see what I was getting you into… That’s how I knew there were a couple of weird ones in there.” 

Connor then started the questionnaire, answering each question. He started thinking to himself. “ _Do I want to film us having sex… already do that… watch partner masturbate… yes. Watch porn together… if he’s interested. Have Don call me obscene words… Fuck yes. Have a weapon directed at me during sex? No… Punch partner during sex… no. Have my hair pulled by partner… well, I haven’t even thought about that. Eh, if he’s interested maybe. Wear a dog collar with a leash… if he’s interested. Act as furniture? No… Have Don torture my genitals… be honest, be honest! Yes… CBT has been a bit of a fetish of mine…_ ” After a few more minutes, Connor finished the rather exhaustive list of questions, from weird to weirdly close to home. “Alright babe, I’m done.” Don chuckled. “Aren’t some of those harrowing in a way?” “Yeah, a couple were. Anyway, you can click the compare button.” Don rolled his chair back around to face the computer, and he clicked the button. 

The website popped up with every point they had in common, and they scrolled through the list together. “Do you think we don’t do enough foreplay, babe?” Connor shrugged. “Every time we fuck, it’s pretty much straight to it. I mean that’s fine for a quickie, but when you have three hours free, eh. Also, I was being very honest in all of this, so… I hope I don’t alienate you or anything.” Don chuckled. “Trust me, you’ll be fine… and I’m kind of excited for the BDSM section if you say that…” Connor just slowly turned a darker shade of red as they scrolled through the list. “Well, we would like to both fuck each other with butt plugs in, so I guess that’s something,” Don commented. “…And we don’t want to play with guns or knives in the bedroom, so that also makes sense.” The human nodded. “That kind of goes against all common sense though, doesn’t it? Who the fuck wants a gun to their head when they’re fucking? I mean different strokes and all, but what if that trigger happened to be brushed the wrong way? I mean that’s one way to go out, at least. The gravestone will say ‘Died doing something they loved.’” Don laughed. “I don’t get it either… but hey. Anyway. Blindfolds, yes, we both like that. We don’t want to be punching each other… you want me to pull your hair, babe?” Connor shrugged. “Maybe… As some sort of domination thing, sure. As long as you aren’t physically ripping it out of my head.” Don nodded. “Well, I guess we could try that… let’s see… You’re into CBT?” 

Connor sighed. “I’ve thought about it before, sounds like fun in a way.” Don just chuckled. “Okay, well I learned something today. And that’s fine, don’t worry about it. Just another thing we can try out, I guess… let’s keep going though.” The human nodded. “Please do, babe.” Don chuckled as he scrolled down the list. ‘We have had sex in a car, haven’t we…” “Yeah, it almost hurt for me to be squeezed in my footwell. We’re not doing it again like that.” Don laughed. “Yeah, I bet it did. Back seat next time, I guess?” Connor nodded. “At least to where I don’t wrench my back getting out. Too bad the plans for my car involve pretty much making said back seat useless.” Don quirked an eye ridge. “What do you mean?” “Well, if I’m putting a roll cage, harnesses, and fixed-back racing seats in it, I don’t think you could climb into the back very easily. Unless you really want to.” The turtle chuckled and shook his head. “No, that doesn’t sound like fun… Anyway, it looks like we both learned something through this weird survey. You’re an awful lot kinkier than I thought you were going to be, babe.” Connor chuckled. “And you’re an awful lot more open than I expected, you pretty much went “if interested” for everything on there. Don’t knock it ‘till you try it, I suppose.” 

Don grinned as he got out of his chair, stradding Connor’s lap. He took his lover’s chin with his finger, pulling Connor’s head up as he looked in his eyes. The human’s blue orbs seemed to match so perfectly with his brown eyes, the two lovers felt so close in that moment. The turtle leaned down, meeting the human’s lips with a kiss. Connor smiled when Don leaned back, with a sign of completeness in his outlook. “I guess we both feel that way, huh? Incomplete without the other?” Don nodded. “It’s strange, isn’t it. Before, we both were fine with being single and just going through life, but then you went and passed out in the sewers… and here we are.” The human smiled in response. “Yep, here we are. Man, I’m still not used to it, really. I notice how your mood instantly changes when I appear… It seems like I’ve never done that to anyone but you.” “And I never expected to do anything in life but obsess over work… there are so, so many better things to be into.” Don then got off his lover, who stood up off the chair. Connor wrapped his arms around the turtle, squeezing. “I love you, babe. I really do… It’s still weird to say, but it rolls off the tongue so easily.” 

The turtle grinned. “Don’t worry, I feel the same way. I’ve never held ‘I love you’ to this regard before… but it’s not like I want to stop, either. Also, this is kind of a sidetrack, but if we really want to get into this BDSM type of stuff, we’ll need some sort of safeword or gesture or whatever.” Connor nodded. “Of course, we can cross that bridge when we get to it. To be honest, I don’t know if I really want to continue that dominant mood tonight… I hope you don’t mind. Maybe we can start that back up later.” Don smiled. “If you feel you don’t want to, that’s okay, I’ll take a rain check.” “Okay. Look, I need to go and check on those plastic parts, I love you.” “Go do that… I love you too.” Connor smiled as he walked backwards out of the door, holding up a heart gesture.

As he pushed the button for the elevator, he pulled out his phone again. He opened his messaging app, shooting a text to April as he walked into the metal box.

“Well, that site worked too well… Thanks for giving us both revelations about the other...”


	16. Business

RECOMMENDED LISTENING:  
Fight Night - Migos  
Why not? I vastly prefer pre-Culture Migos, and this is a prime example of it. But everyone says they were listening to an artist before they got popular, don’t they?

Muy Tranquilo - Gramatik  
A funky chilled-out little number. Gramatik is creative with his music, and his sound is something you don’t hear very often. 

Listen To The Music - The Doobie Brothers  
A perfect song for mornings, peps you up for the day you’re going to have after.

Skrrt Skrrt - 21 Savage  
The way of life when you’re slinging work, I guess. Stray bullets hitting kids while they’re playing hopscotch… yeah. Wonderful.

* * *

Tuesday, February 6, 2018, 6:21 PM

* * *

The typing indicator on Connor’s phone appeared. “What did I tell you? What do you think?” “Well, Don was actually surprised about some of the things I liked, so that’s good…? I don’t fuckin’ know. Just waiting for tonight, heh.” “Lol, anyway. See you tomorrow?” “Sure, sounds great, April.” Connor then locked his phone, putting it back in his pocket. The doors to the garage opened, and he walked to the plastic cooler that held his computer cases. The lid was still quite hot, so it felt like the water kept its temperature over the past three hours. Connor carefully lifted the lid, seeing the plastic components near their stock colors. He lifted the top of the Apple LC2 out, seeing the color vastly improved, but it wasn’t quite done yet. The case still had a tinge of yellow in it, which wasn’t good enough.

He set the plastic piece back into the hot bath and closed the lid, sighing. The process still needed some more time, so he stood back up. A splotch of gray was on the edge of Connor’s vision, and he looked over at it. The seats that he took from that Mercedes were still sitting against the wall of the garage, borderline catching dust. “Fuck, might as well start on those,” he thought as he went back to the elevator. The seats needed a set of casters attached to each one, so they could roll around if need be. One would stay in the garage for a separate seat, and one would be in the living room, possibly for Mikey to use as a gaming chair of sorts. The doors opened to the lair, and Connor ducked into the lab, heading straight into the storage closet. Don snapped his head to the left, watching his lover peer through boxes. 

“What are you looking for, babe?” “Casters… do you have any in here?” “Yeah, they’re in a box in the right shelf, near the top.” Connor got onto his toes, peering into the box. “Got it, thanks.” The human took the box down, taking eight medium-size casters out of it. He started to walk out of the closet, and Don chuckled. “What are those for, anyway?” “Remember those seats we got from that Mercedes? I did just now… so I thought, ‘Why not put casters on them?’… It’s not like you were using these, anyway.” The turtle grinned. “Going to drift around leather seats now?” Connor shook his head. “Not quite. Just make them easier to move around, since they are sixty pounds each.” Don just smiled. “Alright… have fun. Love you, babe.” The human smiled as he walked out of the lab, calling back. “Love you too!” He went back into the elevator with the armful of wheels, chuckling. 

As the doors opened back into the garage, he set the casters on the workbench and started measuring the bolt holes of each, to see where he would have to drill on the seat slides to mount them. The mounting plate on each of them was three inches square, which matched up almost perfectly with the mounts on the seats. After marking on both seats where to drill, it only took ten minutes to completely mount the casters. Both seats now had one caster on each corner, and they were freely rolling around the garage with little effort. Now, Connor had to figure out how to get the motors in one of the seats to work. “Should I wire up the driver’s seat, or the passenger’s,” he asked himself. The driver’s side would be more fitting, because Mikey would be sitting in it playing racing games. He then went into a drawer, pulling out the switch pod that goes with the seat.

In the Mercedes they took the seats out of, the switch panel that moves the seat was on the door panel. Now, Connor had to figure out how to wire the switch and seat up to where they both received twelve-volt power without wires strewn every which way. While he looked up a wiring diagram, the elevator dinged. Connor looked over, and Don came out of the elevator smiling. “It looks like you have those casters all mounted, babe.” The human nodded. “That was the easy part. Now, I need to figure how to get this control module to work with one of those seats… not in the car they came out of. I have a diagram here, but it’s going to take some trial and error.” Don chuckled. “Well, I think I have a twelve-volt power supply somewhere that’ll supply like five amps… and a female barrel jack to go with it, do you think that would work?” Connor nodded. “That would be great, babe. If you could get those for me, I would appreciate it.” The turtle chuckled. “At least I won’t barge into my storage closet without a single word, huh?” 

Connor smiled. “I had a plan, and I followed through with it. Sorry.” Don shook his head. “It’s alright, babe. What do you even plan on making work?” “The recline, the headrest, and maybe the lumbar support and stuff. It won’t make any sense to make it roll forward and back, because it’s on casters, obviously. Maybe let it raise too.” The turtle grinned. “Well, I’ll go and get that power supply and the jack. Be right back.” Connor chuckled as Don left for the elevator. Looking back at the wiring diagram, he looked around the picture. “Control module fed constant twelve-volt and ground… and wires straight to the motors. This shouldn’t be that bad… all hail German engineering,” he said to himself as he took the control module in his hand, inspecting the wiring harness he grabbed. 

All twenty wires connected to it were in good shape, but he needed to de-pin 6 of the wires he didn’t need, two for CAN-bus signal data, and the four for the forward and back adjustment. As he started to release the unnecessary wires from the connector, the elevator dinged again. Don came out of the elevator, holding a bundle of parts. Connor looked up and grinned. “Well, that’s more than I needed, but alright… Care to help me out a bit here?” Don chuckled. “Why wouldn’t I, babe?” The human shrugged. “I wouldn’t know…” The turtle smiled. “Anyway, here’s the supply, a female barrel jack to go with it, and I found some heat-shrink wire wrap, which I think will make this look that much more elegant, per se.” The human sat the connector down on the workbench, wrapping his arms around Don before giving him a kiss. “I love you, babe. Now, let’s get down to work, I just had to get that out of the way first.”

Don grinned after Connor released his grip. “I love you too, and that’s a great idea. What do you need to do next?” The human paused. “I need to extend all these wires to connect them to the seat wiring. Think you can help with that?” The turtle nodded. “I guess I should start getting some wire together… any specific color you need?” Connor shook his head. “As long as it connects two wires, we’re good.” Don smiled as he started to dig through a drawer, pulling out a small roll of wire. “You think sixteen-gauge will work, babe?” The human nodded. “It’s the same size as the rest of this stuff, so I don’t know why it wouldn’t…” “Great, because that’s all we have up here, I need to get some more soon.” Connor chuckled. “That’s alright, at least you have what we need now. Want to strip the wires from the control module?” Don grinned. “If I don’t say yes, are you going to make me?” “Well, I thought I’d ‘ask’… but you caught onto my little plan.” The purple-banded turtle smiled, walking back over to his lover. As he wrapped his arms around Connor, he dropped his voice. “It’s not like I was going to say no, babe…”

* * *

7:13 PM

* * *

Connor shook a bit as he plugged the power supply in the outlet. He snapped his head over, to see there was no smoke or anything coming out of the wiring he and Don had connected. “No magic smoke, that’s a good sign…” Don chuckled. “For sure. Can I be the first person to try it out?” Connor nodded. “Why not. Only thing that shouldn’t work is the fore and aft adjustment.” The turtle eased himself into the leather seat, grasping the control module in his hand. “Too bad we couldn’t make this fully wireless.” The human smiled. “I know, but I don’t think some old German dude with his handlebar mustache and all thought that someone would make his power seat work outside of the car, either.” Don shook his head before he moved the headrest up. “That works, let’s see…” He then moved the switch to where it moved forward, and that worked as well. “The entire headrest situation works, babe.” 

Connor grinned. “I thought it wouldn’t, to be honest. Try the seatback.” Don then started to recline the seat, and the seatback started to lower. “This is so cool, babe… I’m glad you had the thought to bring them home.” The human smiled. “That wasn’t the only good idea I had that night…” Don snapped his head over to look at his lover, still holding the recline switch down. “I alre… AAAH!” The back had gone so far down that the chair tipped back off the casters, slamming Don onto the floor suddenly. Connor just busted out laughing. “I think it would be a good idea to sit back up.” The turtle sat up, bringing the back up to an upright position. “I forgot it was on casters…” “I hope Mikey does that, because it would be hilarious… Anyway, test the up and down adjustment, I want to see how it works.” Don then moved the seat up and down, smiling. “I’m guessing everything works as expected.” Connor nodded. “Precisely. Let’s get this thing downstairs, I want to see a certain orange turtle’s reaction.” 

Don got off the seat with a confused look. “Why are you giving this to Mikey, anyway?” Connor chuckled. “First, he needs a seat, sitting on the floor has to be old by now. Plus, it’s pre-payment for the revenge I’m getting tomorrow.” “Revenge for what?” “Remember when he woke us up earlier with those fucking pots?” Don paused and just busted out laughing. “Yeah, so this is revenge part two?” “Exactly. He’s going to hate it.” The turtle just chuckled, rubbing his hands together. “Can I have a hint?” “I’m going to do something with that damn Xbox, that’s all I’m saying. April’s helping me, too.” “Are you selling it?” Connor shook his head. “One more guess before I tell you.” “Making it inoperable in some way temporarily?” The human nodded. “Let’s say I’m locking it in my car before I leave to go look at a car with April, and he can’t break into my car or even touch it or I will make his life a living hell… Get him off the damn thing for four or five hours so he can actually be productive in something, like drawing something else or talking to his lover, for instance.” 

The turtle grinned. “Sounds like a great idea, and I’m presuming I’m keeping this a secret?” Connor nodded. “Until he calls me in desperation, asking where his Xbox went. He’s probably going to ask you and Raph first, and you both won’t know shit… and that’s where I come into play. When he calls me whining about his Xbox being in the passenger’s seat of my car, that’s when I say, ‘You shouldn’t have woken me up, do something worth a shit until I get back’. That might spur something in him deep down, who knows.” Don chuckled. “And what if he does touch your car?” “Well, I haven’t thought of that yet... I highly doubt he will even try to break into my car, though. I scared the shit out of him the last time he touched any possession of mine, so we shall see.” “When he stole those condoms and shit?” Connor nodded as he unplugged the power supply for the seat. “He was shaking like a leaf when we walked back into the lair after he pulled that stunt… so yeah. Anyway, I need to slather on the good appearances now, so shall we deliver that seat?” 

Three minutes later, the two came out of the elevator, rolling a leather seat carefully down the stairs. Leo looked up, chuckling. “What even is that, Connor?” The human called out “You’ll see!” as he and Don carefully went step by step, carrying the heavy contraption down the stairs. Connor then whistled to Mikey. “Mikey! Get your ass up, I have a surprise for you!” The orange banded turtle snapped his headset off, standing up. “What?” He then noticed the gray leather seat the human was rolling towards him. “What do you think this is?” “Is this for me, it’s so cool!” Connor nodded. “Get on it.” Mikey plunked himself down on the seat in front of the second TV. “This is so much better than the floor!” “I have one better, though… Plug this into that port on the bottom right there.” The turtle plugged the barrel jack into the bottom of the seat, and Connor handed him the control module. “Give it a try.” Mikey flicked through all of the switches, and he started giggling uncontrollably. “This is so cool! I have an actual car seat in here now!” The human nodded. “Only thing that I couldn’t make work is the roll back and forward, but this thing rolls now, so it’s not a problem.” 

Connor then got back up, sitting on the couch. Leo just stared at him, mouth agape. “Was that hard to do?” The human shook his head. “Basic wiring and looking at a diagram was all. I was bored, and it was something to do. Plus, Don helped me a bit, so that’s nice.” Leo just chuckled and shook his head. “And now Mikey has an actual, like, car seat in the living room… that works.” Connor nodded. “Isn’t it great? I’m surprised I could get all the functions to work, honestly. A certain genius turtle came through with a twelve-volt power supply, so just plug it into the wall and it reclines and moves up and down.” Splinter just shook his head at the antics, before he focused back into his show. 

The human started thinking as he sunk further into the couch. Those plastic cases were still sitting in the cooler, and he had to check them again. He mumbled “god damnit…” as he stood up, walking up the stairs soon after. Leo turned around, seeing the human getting into the elevator. Raph chuckled. “Did he just dart up there?” Leo nodded. “It gets me every time.” “Ya know how he is, let it be.” “Yeah, I know. It’s just… weird. Like Don would at least give us some fair warning he had something he had to do. Connor just goes ‘oh crap’ and just goes for it… I guess I’m still not used to having him around in some ways.” Raph chuckled. “And he beat my ass earlier… It’s an understatement when ya say things are weird.” Leo laughed. “I was completely taken aback from that, too. I have a question, Raph.” “Is this about when he ran off and ya’re gonna ask me where I found him?” The blue-banded turtle groaned. “You know me too well. Yeah, that.” 

Before Raph started to answer, Usagi leaned over onto Leo’s shoulder. The turtle smiled and wrapped his right arm around the rabbit, squeezing gently. Raph chuckled and continued, trying to make up a story. “I took the rooftop highway, and he was sitting on the roof of an apartment building, near where we found Kuro. Leo quirked an eye ridge. “Did he say he had a reason why?” The red-banded turtle shook his head. “Not really, he just said he knew how ta get back home from there.” Leo chuckled. “Makes sense, just wondering.” Raph smiled. “I’m going up ta see what he’s even doin’…” “Well, don’t interrupt him if he wants to work alone on, well, whatever he’s working on.” “Yadda yadda, got it.” The red-banded turtle then stood up, heading up the stairs. Looking in the lab as he walked past, Don was completely engrossed in some project, not even realizing Connor went back up to the garage. Raph then pressed the button for the elevator, stepping into the metal box. 

As the elevator slowly went up, Raph starting hearing basslines being played, and as it rose, he started hearing snippets of lyrics and hi-hats being hit in triple time. The elevator dinged, and Connor looked up, seeing a certain red-banded turtle step out. Raph froze, listening to the music the human was playing. “I’ma knock the pussy out like fight night? What the fuck?” Connor paused the music and laughed. “You know what that means… anyway, what’s up?” “Nothin’, just savin’ yer ass. Leo just asked where I ‘found’ ya, so there’s that…” The human’s eyes widened. “What did you say?” “I found ya on a roof near where ya found Kuro. That’s better than ‘Oh, he was in my totally-secret room only five minutes from here’, ya think? Also, I wondered what ya were doin’.” Connor chuckled as he looked at the plastic casing in his hand. “Remember what color this was?” “That like shitty brown color?” The human nodded. “Four hours in a chemical bath and it’s back to brand new. I had to see if they were fully… done?... I don’t know if that’s the right word for this process, but whatever.” 

Raph grinned. “That’s pretty cool, I gotta admit. Does this work for all of these old computers and shit?” “I don’t know why it wouldn’t… however the plastics from like 2000 and on generally lose the tendency to yellow over time, so it won’t do anything to those.” The turtle nodded. “I still can’t believe they’re all gray again. How does this work, anyway?” Connor snapped his head over to look at Raph. “Do you really want to know? It’s pretty boring.” Raph then shook his head. “If ya say so, I guess I don’t… But, you used that cooler to keep the water hot?” “Yeah, it’s a temporary solution for now. I have a way to fix it, but that involves more spending.” “Ain’t that how it always works…” “Oh, I know all about that... Anyway, I need to take these down to my little workshop, if you want to join me.” “Why wouldn’t I?” Connor shrugged as he took the plastic cases in his hands. “You tell me.” The turtle opened the elevator, and the two got in. Raph just chuckled as he saw Connor grasping the components in his hands. “Why did ya sign up ta do this shit, anyway?” “Well, it was something to do, and plus another source of income isn’t a bad thing. I’ve spent over three grand this week, and if there’s any way I can balance it out a bit, it’ll help.” “Gotcha. Also, I like how ya made that Mercedes seat work, was that part of the original idea?” 

Connor shook his head as the doors opened. “I just expected to put them on stands as spare seats, but it seems like they’re more useful than that.” Raph chuckled as he followed Connor into the small workshop. “I haven’t seen this place all set up yet, ya like it?” The human nodded. “All this space is nice to have. Sorry if it’s a bit tight in here, I set it up for only me being in here, really.” The turtle shook his head. “It’s aight. This TV looks like a fuckin’ nightmare.” Connor chuckled. “That’s because it is. Still waiting on a damn soldering station to come in before I can truly fix it.” “Ya don’t got one?” “No, Don ordered one for me a few days ago, but it’s still in the mail. And I really don’t want to use a butane torch to ghetto-rig it, either.” Raph nodded. “Gotcha.” “Well, I’m planning to put these back together now, I don’t really think it’ll be all that entertaining, to be honest.” The turtle then shook his head and walked out of the small room, heading into his own not fifteen seconds later. 

The human just shook his head as he started to screw the Apple LC2’s motherboard into its case. “I wonder if he’s going in there to jerk off or lift weights, but we may never know…” he said to himself. “Maybe at the same time, because it is Raph after all…” He grinned as he clipped the speaker into the bottom of the case, even the thought of that was hilarious.

* * *

11:38 PM

* * *

Scrolling through Spotify in his bedroom, Connor was trying to find a song. “I want something kinda chilled out…” He scrolled through a few playlists before a certain purple-banded turtle chuckled. “Trying to find a song?” Connor looked up and grinned. “I guess I am. Nice that you’ve finally joined me, babe.” Don smiled as he laid down next to his lover, bringing him closer. “What if I clicked on a random song… and we will see what we get?” The human smiled as he kissed the turtle. “Sounds like an okay idea to me, here’s the keyboard.” Don flicked through a “chill” playlist, hitting play on a song from Gramatik. A drum beat started playing, with pianos flanking it as a melody. Connor smiled. “This works…” Don could only squeeze the human a bit tighter, bringing him against his side. The human smirked. “I love you, babe.” “I love you too. It looks like you have something on your mind.” Connor snorted. “I’m just wondering how the fuck Mikey and Nano even get intimate with each other. I mean the guy’s a damn robot.” Don laughed. “I don’t know either, babe.” “I mean, Mikey gave me details about how they fucked physically, but more like the cuddling and kissing and shit like we’re doing now.” 

Don shrugged. “The part I can’t figure out is why you’re thinking about that right now when you’re next to me. That doesn’t make sense.” Connor chuckled before he kissed Don slowly, savoring the moment they had together. The turtle slowly tapped on the human’s back, making him lift off. “I want you to fuck me tonight, babe.” Connor smiled. “We can do that… not quite yet though. I want to go a little slower tonight, if that’s alright.” Don nodded. “I mean, you did allude to that earlier…” “I did, that is true. I still can’t believe we did that whole thing, you know?” “Me either. And no, I don’t want to punch you while we have sex, because that sounds weird.” Connor chuckled. “And if I punched you, it would feel like a fly hitting your skin, unless I was in full fight mode, but then we wouldn’t be fucking in the middle of a fight either.” Don shook his head. “And I think that’s a kink neither of us have… although that might be something Raph might be into, who knows.” 

Connor just kissed Don again suddenly, getting on top of the turtle. Don snorted at the move his lover made as he went deeper into the kiss. His lips were pressed against Connor’s as the human slowly moved his tongue on top of his. The turtle felt the bottom of his lover’s tongue, the small bumps and veins throbbing with a heartbeat. Connor snorted at this move before he slowly pulled away, brushing his tongue against the ridge of Don’s teeth and against the edge of the turtle’s lip. Don smiled as he wrapped his arms around his lover. “I love you with all of my heart, babe.” Connor sighed before he rubbed his eyes. “Don’t take this the wrong way, but that’s something my dad used to say. It’s pretty fitting… but god damn.” Don exhaled before he slowly let go of Connor, letting the human fall back to his side. “Is that all you’ve been thinking about?” Connor shook his head. “Earlier, Raph called me ‘Con’… It’s supposed to be a harmless nickname, right? Next thing I know, I was sitting in the driver’s seat of my car crying.” Don squeezed the human against his side after he said that. “Aww, babe… I’m sorry.” “It’s not your fault…”

“I know it’s not, but I’m still supposed to help you out with this shit… Plus, it doesn’t feel great to hear when you’re saying you cried in your car earlier.” Connor sighed. “I know, and I’m not trying to drag you down either, babe.” Don smiled. “So, is tonight null and void, or are you still okay with that?” Before he even expected a response, the human sat up to give the turtle a forceful kiss. Don chuckled. “I guess that’s a yes?” Connor nodded. “Okay. Also, you wanted to take this slow, so we will go as slow as you feel like, how about that?” The human grinned. “You know exactly what I want, don’t you? God, you’re too good sometimes.” Don chuckled. “Now you know what it’s like to be me. Not like that’s a bad thing…” Connor smirked. “I really really want to spoil this surprise I have for you, but then the reaction I would get wouldn’t be as genuine, at least I think.” Don shook his head. “You don’t need to spoil anything, babe. I also would like to see what you have planned, but I really don’t want to know what that is.” Connor nodded. “And I love you for that. That’s also what has been in my head for the past, like… five days? Not everything through my mind is all negative, I swear.” 

Don chuckled. “And I know it wouldn’t be, babe…” He then got on top of his lover, releasing the top button of the human’s shirt. Connor smiled. “So, you’re stripping me down now, ready to put me on the spit?” “No, you don’t have enough meat on you for that, I’m afraid… although you are delicious as-is.” Connor chuckled as the turtle licked his lips in an exaggerated way. Don released two more buttons on his shirt, and the turtle slowly worked himself down, unbuttoning the rest of the buttons as he looked in Connor’s now-gray eyes. The human caught the look and smiled. “I love you so much, babe.” Don simply smiled as he quickly unfastened the waist of Connor’s jeans. “It looks like you’re getting there, huh babe?” Connor blushed, as he was definitely semi-hard by that point. It didn’t faze the turtle, who slowly unzipped the jeans, going tooth by tooth as he did so. 

The turtle simply slid the jeans down, rubbing his thumb slowly on top of Connor’s growing cotton-covered bulge, going up until he rubbed against the ridge of his head. The human’s head darted back, and he moaned. “Ugh, fuck babe…” Don looked up and grinned before he moved back up, kissing his lover as he rubbed his hands down Connor’s torso slowly. The human only moaned at the touch, before Don started to speak. “Sit up, babe.” Connor did so, and the turtle slowly helped him out of his shirt. “I’m afraid I can’t get your watch…” Connor chuckled. “I’ll get it.” He popped the strap open, bending it to get the clasp to unfasten. Slinging the black rubber device to the side, he wrapped his arms around his lover. Don chuckled as he hugged Connor. “This slow enough, you think?” “Yes, yes, it is. You enjoy it for a change?” The turtle nodded. “I finally realize what you meant by us always getting straight into the fucking, but I have to admit, I do like foreplay…” Connor grinned. “How did I figure that out?” Don shrugged. “That one is a mystery, babe.” He then leaned in to kiss his lover again, carefully hooking the waistband of Connor’s underwear around his thumb. 

With a quick tug, Don pulled the pair of white briefs down, chuckling as Connor’s member sprung up at full attention. The human watched as he dropped down to match, putting his cock against Connor’s. Don then chuckled. “Safe to say I’m a bit bigger, huh?” “You are, but does that really mean anything, babe? You’re great, no matter the size.” The turtle then blushed, grinning. Connor smiled at the reaction his little joke made. “If you want to compare anything, how about the fact that I’m almost naked, and you still have all of your gear on. I don’t think that works…” Don chuckled. “I’ve helped you out, I’m guessing you can help me out here.” The human shook his head as he sat up, wrapping his arms around Don. “I notice you still had your mask in that bow… what a good boy.” “I have to wonder, what was that ‘punishment’ you were talking about? You said something about how it used one of my abilities to my disadvantage?” Connor chuckled. “I wanted to milk you, make you orgasm over and over borderline against your will… Sounded like you might enjoy that… I guess that falls under the ‘orgasm control’ fetish I have, in a way.” 

Don chuckled and shook his head. “That does sound quite enticing, but I’m afraid that’s not for tonight, babe.” “I know it’s not, but I was kind of planning on doing that sometime soon, if that was alright with you. Consent and all those sorts of things that I would not want to alienate, you know.” The turtle sighed with a laugh. “Well, if you’re asking, then yes…” Connor smiled. “I’m glad… anyway, let me take this damn mask off, it’s been torturing you enough today.” He pulled on one of the tails, and the bow unraveled, the mask falling to the bed. Don’s brown eyes shone ever more brightly now, and the human smiled. “God, I love your eyes, babe. They may not shift colors like mine do, but damn… You’re gorgeous.” Don grinned in response to the compliment. “I would say the same thing about you, babe. Gorgeous doesn’t begin to explain what you look like… but horny is one.” Connor chuckled. “Let me guess, you’re going to fix that right now.” The turtle snorted as he went down, grasping his lover’s hard member. He slowly stroked up and down, and the human moaned in response. When Connor closed his eyes, Don sneakily wrapped his mouth around his cock, and the human’s eyes shot back open.

Don ran his tongue along the underside of the shaft, and Connor growled in his chest. “Ugh… fuck babe. You’ve gotten good at sucking me off…” The turtle lifted up and smiled. “I think you’ve taught me something rather useful in all of that.” “I can tell… god damn. How about you lay down and I’ll reciprocate… Almost like you’ve been waiting for me to say that.” Don chuckled as he eagerly laid down on the bed, next to where Connor sat. The human kissed the turtle before he slid down, taking Don’s hard cock in his mouth. The turtle started to churr as he added suction, slowly working him deeper into his throat on every stroke down. The head of Don’s cock started to bump against the back of Connor’s throat, and so he angled his head slightly to let the member go in further. Don continued to churr as this all happened, starting to mumble. “G-god… f-fuck… babe, this feels… aah…” Connor looked up, seeing his lover biting his lip as he dug himself into the pillow. He slightly lifted, driving his tongue across the head of his lover’s member before lifting Don out of his mouth.

The turtle looked up with a puzzled expression. “What was that for?” Connor said “Shhh… wait and see.” He leaned over to grab the bottle of lube, putting a small amount on his right index finger. Don snorted. “So, that’s what you’re doing.” Connor shook his head. “You’ll see… like I just said.” He slowly worked his finger into Don, and the turtle started to churr. “Fuck babe…” Connor smiled as he worked in further, twisting his finger around before he added more lube and his middle finger into the equation. Don didn’t stop churring while this happened, this is what he wanted to feel all night. Connor angled his fingers upward, rubbing gently against his lover’s prostate. The turtle gasped suddenly at the stimulation. “H-holy fuck, that feels… aaaah…” He was on the verge of orgasm, and Connor chuckled before he worked his mouth back around his member, rubbing his tongue along the head. The human kept the stimulation on Don’s prostate still going, working his fingers in and out, increasing the pressure on the bundle of nerves.

Don started to shake a bit from the stimulation. Connor was holding him right on the edge of release, and he was about to go past the point of no return. “Aaaah, fuck… babe… I’m about to…” At that instant, his body clenched up, shooting a rope of cum into Connor’s mouth. The human continued the stimulation through four more contractions, slowly lifting up off Don’s member, slowly working his fingers out at the same time. The turtle relaxed, quietly laughing into the air. Connor smiled. “Well, that was orgasm number one… what did you think?” “Uhhhhh…” “That’s great, babe. Want me to fuck you now?” Don nodded, not even able to form words at that current moment. The human smiled as he grabbed a condom off the strip, ripping it off before putting it on carefully. He added a generous amount of lube around his cock before he slowly started to push into his lover. “You ready, babe?” “I’m ready, babe… I want you to pound me…” Connor chuckled as he slowly worked himself in. “I can do that.” Going inch by inch, he bottomed out inside his lover. 

“You ready for me to start moving, babe?” Don grinned. “More than that, honestly. You could start hammering into me and I’d be alright.” Connor smirked. “Is that a bet?” “I guess it is.” The human leaned down to kiss Don, and the turtle went into it, playing with his tongue. At that moment, Connor suddenly pulled himself out, slamming back in. Don gasped as he did so, churring as he continued the assault, slamming in and out of his lover, rubbing against the turtle’s prostate as he pumped in and out. Don’s formerly extensive vocabulary just turned into a series of simple phrases. “Oh my god, babe… fuck this feels…” Connor just smiled as he continued the aggressive fucking, feeling the silky insides of his lover wrapping around his member. Don simply laid back against the pillow, his brain completely submerged in pleasure. He couldn’t think about any project he was working on, or anything else besides how it felt… almost natural to be fucked roughly like this, like he was accepting this as his place in life.

Connor noticed the sudden shift in Don’s mood and chuckled. “You alright, babe?” The turtle sat up slightly and grinned. “More than alright… fuck… It feels like it’s my righteous place in life to be fucked like this, like I could be your bottom bitch all day, every day, non-stop.” The human chuckled. “I mean… that would be nice, but we both have lives, I’m afraid. You’re my bitch for tonight, I think that’s enough.” Don whimpered. “You sure you can’t fuck me all day every day?” “Sorry babe, that’s a no. How about I make this a bit better for you…” He then took some lube in his palm, spreading it around Don’s member. He started to stroke up and down while he pumped in and out, and the churring coming from the turtle got louder as he did so. Don’s head shot back down and he started to growl. “Ugh… fuck… babe… please…” was all he could say as the human got more aggressive in his fucking, going full-bore at that moment. 

The silence in the bedroom was long gone by this point, replaced by churring, grunting, and the sound of Connor slamming into and out of his lover at a heightened pace. Don was almost at the point of climax again, and he let it be known. “Fuck… babe, I’m about to cum again…” Connor grinned at the sound of that, ramping up the stroking of his right hand. The turtle started making random noises at this point, before he borderline yelled out “YES!” His body contracted at that moment, his cock spraying ropes of seed into the air before they landed on his plastron. The human started to grunt in his chest, muttering “F-fuck…” before he unloaded in his lover, the condom catching his seed. He then slowed down, stopping the fucking. Don laughed. “God damn that was great, babe. Thanks.” Connor shook his head. “You don’t need to thank me for fucking you… I should be thanking you, matter of fact. You feel okay?” “I feel great… I was serious about that full-time slave thing. If we lived alone… all bets are off.” “But you need to remember, I’m not a full-time top for you, babe. I like switching it up…” 

Don sighed. “Yeah, I know. Anyway, you can pull out.” Connor chuckled as he did so gently, letting the turtle’s entrance close slowly. He carefully got off the bed, throwing the condom away as the after-sex oxytocin kicked in. Don grabbed a tissue and wiped his plastron off, getting the errant semen out of the cracks between the plates. Connor laid down next to Don, and the turtle wrapped his arm around his lover. “I love you, babe… and I really love when you fuck me like that.” Connor smiled. “I could tell… and I love you too, Don. I don’t know what I would do without you, now that I think about it.” “Me too… I have a question, though.” “What?” “Do you still find it weird that you’re in love with a mutant turtle who happens to be a genius and a fighter, or is that already a given?” Connor paused. “Well… to be honest, I have no clue. This whole situation I literally landed into is interesting, to say the least. But that’s alright, I’ve pretty much gotten used to it by now. You’re here right next to me, things can’t be that bad, really.” Don leaned down to kiss his lover, and Connor accepted, letting Don play with his tongue.

The turtle pulled away after a moment, smiling. “That never gets old…” Connor shook his head. “It doesn’t, I give you that much. Also, you had a question, so I might as well ask one.” Don chuckled. “What is the question, babe?” “Would you rather this right now… at 12:33 AM… or be sitting in your lab on your sixth cup of coffee obsessing over some project?” The turtle got all sarcastic. “Well, the chair in my lab is awfully comfortable… but no, seriously, what kind of question is that?” Connor shrugged. “Just answer it.” “I highly prefer being here right now with you… and I can’t believe I had to say that.” The human chuckled. “I just needed you to admit it…” He then sat up and kissed the turtle, who pecked back. “Love you.” “Love you too. Come on, let’s get some sleep. I know you have stuff you need to do with April in the morning, and I have to deal with Mikey trying to break into your car.” 

Connor laughed. “And I will beat the shit out of him if he even so much as breathes on my car… make sure he knows that.” Don grinned. “You know I will, babe. And hell, I would be too scared to screw with you, with the revenge you can come up with in an instant.” The human shook his head. “You forget, you’re not Mikey. He’s a bit of an idiot when it comes to common sense, but he is also very perceptive, I’ve noticed that.” Don nodded. “That is like his specialty, in a sense. He knows how to read people, and he does it very well. Pulled us out of some sticky situations using that, to be honest… and he has also dragged us into some as well.” Connor chuckled. “Well, like you said, why do we need think about him? We’re here together thinking about someone else…” 

Don groaned. “That’s true. Come on, let’s get some sleep.” The human turned on his left side to face his lover with a smile. “We can do that, babe.” Don smiled and kissed his lover, wrapping his arms around Connor. “I don’t want to let go of you, you know?” “Well, if you stop squeezing me so tight and let me turn around real quick, I’ll let you hold me.” The turtle chuckled. “Well, I’m sorry.” Connor turned around, going into a ‘little spoon’ position with Don. “See, there we go. Sorry, but I can’t get to sleep in anything but my right side, really.” “Seriously? You were fast asleep on the couch earlier.” “That’s because I was exhausted, and any padded surface worked… I was nodding off in the elevator, for fuck’s sake.” Don chuckled. “Alright, alright. Look, I love you, goodnight.” “Night, babe. I love you too.” The two then settled into bed, and Don rested his arm around his lover. Soon enough, both were asleep against each other, the human held gently against the turtle.

* * *

Wednesday, February 7, 2018, 6:08 AM

* * *

Leo started to wake up, his internal alarm going off. Usagi was halfway onto his plastron, the rabbit’s head laying between his left arm and his torso. The turtle smiled as his lover shifted a bit, but he did still have to get up. He started to pull himself out of bed, but Usagi already knew this was bound to happen again, mumbling out “Mmmph, come on…” as he wrapped his arms around Leo, still half-asleep. The turtle sighed as he laid back down. “You won, happy?” Usagi nodded. “Yes… Why can’t you just stay in bed like most normal people?” “Well, I need to lead by example.” Usagi chuckled. “That’s bullshit. How about you lead in being a lover and cuddle with me for fifteen minutes? It won’t kill you.” Leo smiled. “Come over here, babe.” Usagi scooted closer to his lover, who wrapped his arms around him. The rabbit smiled as he rubbed his fingers down the ridges of Leo’s plastron. “I like touching you like this… When you wake up suddenly like this, I don’t have the chance to. Feels like something is taken away from me, how weird that may sound.” 

The turtle smiled. “That is what Connor said, isn’t it? I shouldn’t be this massive leader if it impacts our relationship even in a small way like this. I’m sorry I hadn’t realized that until now…” Usagi sighed. “It’s alright… Just remember I’m here and I don’t really want to let go of you.” Leo grinned. “I can tell… And I love you too. I just went straight back into my leader mode, and I need to stop that. I wonder how the geniuses pull this off every morning without one of them feeling left out…” Usagi chuckled. “Well, it wouldn’t hurt to ask. I think Connor’s up, I hear the shower running.” Leo quirked an eye ridge. “I wonder why he’s up, I guess I should also ask him about that.” “Not right now, though. Wait till he gets out, then I’ll let you go.” “Fine, fine.” Usagi just exhaled, enjoying the feeling of being next to his lover. “What do you even have planned for today?” “Well, practice… and then whatever, really. Do you have anything you would like to do?” The rabbit shrugged. “I don’t know… although spending some more time with you today would be nice.” Leo smiled. “We can do that, babe.” Usagi continued to rub his hand down Leo’s plastron, and the turtle took the edge of the rabbit’s jaw in his hand, gently tugging his lover closer toward him. 

Usagi grinned as he met Leo’s lips, slowly working deeper and deeper as he did so. The turtle started to play with his tongue, letting his lover into his mouth. Usagi straddled himself over his lover, laying on Leo’s chest as he continued the kissing. He pulled away after a moment, and the turtle chuckled. “You really wanted this, didn’t you babe?” The rabbit nodded. “You have to admit, it’s better than starting practice by yourself, sitting in there for two hours until everyone is eating.” “That is t…” The bathroom door creaked open as Leo was mid-sentence, and he chuckled. “Well, I guess I should really get up now…” Usagi smiled. “I’ll let you up, babe. You promised you’d stay in here until Connor got out, and you did. Thanks.” Leo grinned as he tightly hugged the rabbit. “To be honest, I’m glad you made me stay in here. I like the bit of attention before the day starts, I just realized.” Usagi smiled as he leaned his chin on Leo’s shoulder. “I’m glad. Anyway, babe, get in there if you really want to. I want to get some more sleep.” Leo chuckled before he pecked his lover’s cheek, working himself slowly off the bed. Usagi just grinned as he worked himself back under the covers, smiling as he sunk back into the pillow. 

Connor was in the kitchen, dressed in a blood red button-down shirt, a pair of dark gray jeans, and he had a towel wrapped around his head, passively drying his hair as he made coffee. He started to hum to himself, turning the handle on the grinder. Leo started to come down the stairs as he tied his mask, hearing Connor singing quietly. “What the people need… is a way to make ‘em smile… it ain’t so hard to do if you know how… gotta get a message, get it on through…” He grinned as he walked into the kitchen. “What are you even singing?” “Uhh… The Doobie Brothers, why? It was stuck in my head.” “Just wondering. Why are you up so early?” “I forgot to tell you, but April is going out with me today to check out a couple of used cars. She’s in the market and my expertise is pretty much priceless to her.” Leo snorted. “Alright. When is she supposed to be meeting you?” “Six-thirty, I’m probably going to her place for an hour or so while we research before we really go off and go from dealer to dealer.” What Leo didn’t know is that Mikey’s Xbox was in his car… that happened to be on the lift in the garage with all four wheels sitting against the wall. 

The human smiled. “Do you want coffee? I’m making some right now, and I wouldn’t want the leftover to go to waste.” Leo chuckled. “You know what, I’ll be open minded today, why not. I’m not usually one for coffee, but if Don says it’s good, I’ll bite. While you make that, I have a question, if you don’t mind.” Connor nodded as he put the ground coffee into the French press. “Sure, go ahead.” “How do you and Don even wake up in the morning? I woke up just like ten minutes ago and Usagi was pretty much locking me in bed…” Connor laughed. “Well… we don’t do that. For instance, this morning I had to wake up before Don, but I left a small note because he was still dead asleep. But, most days we wake up together within about ten minutes of each other… possibly have a little bit of fun before we stumble out of our room.” Leo chuckled and shook his head. “What do you mean by fun? Like full-on sex, or other stuff?” The human paused. “Well, don’t tell him I even said this to you… but I woke him up yesterday with a blowjob. He loved it, maybe that’s something you could try with Usagi…” Leo blushed. “I mean, that does sound like a good idea… but I haven’t even tried oral yet, to be honest.”

Connor looked at Leo incredulously. “You have got to be kidding me...” Leo shook his head. “Not kidding. I was wondering if you had any ideas.” The human chuckled while he pushed the plunger on the press down. “Well, trying new things, for one. You can’t fall into a routine, I think, because you’ll get bored rather quickly. The same thing, night after night, over and over. It’s kind of like eating a hamburger for lunch every day. Sometimes you want something else, but the option is still there.” Leo nodded. “Makes sense. I’m going to put it on myself to make our relationship a little more… spontaneous, I guess. Anything else I should know?” “Well, don’t take everything so seriously… This applies to not just your sex life, either. If something doesn’t go quite right, like accidentally shoving your elbow into Usagi’s face when you are switching positions. If you can’t laugh that off, you need to reevaluate the way you’re looking at the situation… And plus, just have fun with it. Relationships aren’t a competition.” 

Leo smiled as Connor grabbed two mugs. “Thanks for telling me that…” “Remember, if you need advice, just ask. I’m an open book. I may not be an expert on fighting strategies, that’s when I’d ask you about that sort of thing. Also, I admit I’m not the expert in relationships, but I’ve seen so many fail just from negligence. Not realizing what your partner really wants… to even being misguided… That’s one thing about the human world. We’re constantly exposed to relationships. Good ones, bad ones, comical ones… people marrying and then divorcing… anyway. Here’s your coffee, do you want anything in it?” “Um… I don’t know. I’m not the biggest coffee person, you know that.” Connor chuckled. “Well, let’s see. I can put some hazelnut creamer in it, maybe some chocolate syrup… make it taste like a mocha in a way.” Leo’s eyes widened. “That sounds delicious, thank you.” 

The human grinned as he stirred up the mixture for Leo, setting it in front of him still swirling. He took his coffee, taking a sip. “What do you think?” The turtle nodded. “I like this, thank you. I just can’t do it black, ugh.” “I’m the same way. I need at least a bit of sugar in it for me to drink it. I had a kick for like a year where I just drank my coffee black… regret it now, of course.” Connor’s phone started to buzz in his pocket, and he chuckled. “It’s April.” He swiped on the screen, putting his phone to his ear. “Hey, what’s up?” “Well, I’m here… Are you going to be out anytime soon?” “Uh… maybe. How about you just come down and have some coffee? I have some left over.” “Sounds great… if you can open the door to the garage, that is.” The teenager chuckled. “Okay, I’ll open it. Talk to you when you get down here.” The woman then hung up, and Connor pressed a button on his phone to open the garage door. The faint sound of rollers was heard in the silent lair, and a minute later, the elevator dinged. 

April came out of it, wearing a pair of blue jeans, a white long-sleeved top, and a leather jacket, her purse slung across her right shoulder. As she came down the stairs, Connor couldn’t help but look. She sat down at the table, smiling. “Are you trying to flirt with me now? I’m afraid we’re both taken…” Connor chuckled. “I’m sorry, but you look great. Plus come on, I’m a guy, it’s hard not to look… and uh, here’s your coffee.” The woman took the mug of coffee, smiling. “Thank you, and really, it’s not a problem. I put a little more effort into getting ready this morning, and I think it worked.” Leo grinned. “Okay, okay, you two.” April waved her hand in the air, to brush off the comment. “So, I noticed your car was on the lift… god, this is going to be so good.” Leo quirked an eye ridge. “Wait, wait, hold on. Connor, your car’s in the air right now? Why?” Connor chuckled. “Remember how yesterday Mikey woke me and Don up? This is revenge.” The turtle groaned. “What did you do…” “Do you see the Xbox anywhere in the living room?” Leo got up, and looked around. “No, I don’t.” “That’s because it’s in the passenger’s seat of my car, up on the lift, with the wheels completely removed… He needs to learn about doing something productive… and that I won’t pull any punches if he fucks with me. If he so much as touches my car… all bets are off… and he knows that.” 

The turtle sighed. “He does need to learn that lesson, I am afraid. What is your plan for this, anyway?” “Well, he’ll call me when he realizes I took his Xbox, and I’ll tell him exactly why I did it and what he can do in the meantime until I get back. Talk to Nano, draw something, look up a new recipe to experiment with. You know how he pulls all these pranks. Every one he’s done to me has been harmful in some way or shape… and he woke me up with those pots when I specifically said to be harmless in a prank, not when I’m literally exhausted and at my wit’s end. I could have hurt him doing that, but I didn’t.” Leo nodded. “I get it, and I am in on this plan. Does anyone else know?” “Don, but that’s because I had to tell him so he wouldn’t fuck it up. Raph’ll figure it out, and Splinter won’t care… hell, he’ll appreciate the barrage of video game sounds not interrupting him for a day.” Leo chuckled. “Alright, thanks for telling me, anyway. Aren’t you guys about to go?” April nodded. “As soon as we finish our coffee, yep.” 

After about five minutes, April and Connor were heading up the stairs, and Leo went into the dojo. Going into the elevator, April chuckled. “Going to check out cars and get revenge at the same time… did you come up with that on the spot?” Connor nodded. “I did. I realized we would be out until like three or four, which left plenty of time for him to realize what he did wrong.” The woman shook her head. “I still can’t believe we’re doing this, by the way. Also, the silver one we looked at earlier is on the way, so I thought we could check that one out too, while we’re out.” “Sounds like a good idea. I can set up everything with that Infiniti dealer once we get up there, if you don’t mind. These guys don’t tend to treat women as equals, especially when it comes to mechanical knowledge, I’m afraid.” April sighed. “I know all about that. If you can help me out with that, I would appreciate it.” “Not a problem. Plus, being able to fuck with the guys in the back can be a bit of fun, too.” The woman chuckled again, thankful of the fact that Connor knew exactly what he was doing, also of the fact that she could get a fun car without any regret… something she wasn’t expecting to do for years in the future.

* * *

8:32 AM

* * *

Mikey woke up, stretching as he yawned. He looked up at his Superman poster and smiled. Even if he wasn’t Superman, being the Turtle Titan with the Justice Force was good enough for him. Swinging his legs over the side of his bed, he kicked away an errant pizza box. His bedroom was trashed, and he knew he had to clean it up before Nano came even remotely close to the lair… but he wanted to play some video games before practice started. He went out of his room, leaping down to the first floor. Raph chuckled, because the orange-banded turtle was about to realize Connor’s revenge wasn’t something to joke about. Mikey sat down at his new leather seat, grabbing his controller. He pushed the Xbox button to turn on the presumed console, but nothing showed up on the TV. “Uhh, guys, my Xbox is broken!” Raph chuckled. “It’s not broken, Mikey.” “Huh?” “Are you blind?” Mikey looked around, finally noticing the black box was not on the shelf. “Did you steal my Xbox?” Raph shook his head. “Nope.” “I don’t trust you…” “It wasn’t me, I didn’t do shit with it. Why don’t you ask Leo what happened?” Mikey then stood up, heading into the dojo. 

Leo looked over and chuckled. “Finally realized?” “Uh, yeah. Someone stole my Xbox, and it wasn’t Raph. Did you do anything with it?” “No, but I know someone who may have…” Mikey’s eyes widened. “Really? Who was it? Don? Casey?” “No, and no. You woke him up yesterday with two pots.” Mikey looked confused for a second, then realized it was Connor. “So, he took my Xbox?” “Yes, he did. I would say you should call him, give him the chance to explain, per se.” Mikey groaned. “Fiiiiine!” He walked out of the dojo, grabbing his phone off his seat. He scrolled through his contacts before he came across Connor’s name, pressing the call button by it. The phone rung twice, and the human picked up. “Leo told you to call me, huh?” Mikey growled. “You took my Xbox!” “I did… this is revenge for yesterday. Can you guess where I am right now?” “No, why?” “Well, I’m out with April now looking at cars, and we will be for much of the day… We are on the beautiful Palisades Interstate Parkway, with the Hudson River to our right as we go northbound out of the city... The forests we are driving through are quite relaxing, it reminds me of home in a way.” “What does that even mean to me?” “Well, your Xbox is in my car… Go up to the garage right now and look… call me back when you can muster some form of speech.” 

Connor hung up the phone, and April chuckled. “That was great, Connor.” The teenager bowed a bit. “Thank you, thank you. I just want to hear his reaction… I’m going to be dying.” “Maybe could you put it on speaker when he calls back?” Connor nodded. “Sure I can. Speak of the devil, he’s calling right now.” He swiped on his phone, tapping on the speaker icon. “So, what do you think? Great, right?”, he said with a chuckle. “So, I’m guessing I can’t touch your car?” “No, or I will literally find a way to slowly torture you until you beg for me to kill you to end it…” “Why did you do this to me?” “Well, think about it, Mikey. You’re going to be sitting on your ass playing Fortnite instead of doing something productive… I have a plethora of things you could do to improve your life in small ways until I get home.” “Promise you’ll get my Xbox back as soon as you get back?” “Yes, I will. Just your Xbox is going to be ten feet in the air until I get it… also, don’t try climbing up the lift to get it, both doors and the hatch are locked and I have the keys in my pocket.” Mikey groaned. “I was just about to climb up there, too…” “Do you want something to do?” 

“If I can’t play on my Xbox, then sure, I guess.” “Well, you can talk to Nano… since he is coming over on Saturday, I think you guys should be on the same page before then… let’s see… you can polish up some of your art skills… you can clean out your room before Nano comes over… I know you’re creative, so you can possibly make something, if you’re up to it. Are those enough suggestions, or are you going to be pestering everyone else today?” Mikey sighed. “I’ll try not to be annoying today, I promise.” “If I hear you tormented Raph, I give him full permission to beat a hole in you, got that? Also, if you even try to touch my car or ask Don to break into it, you know what I said.” Mikey gulped. “Yeah, I did.” “Good. Take this as a lesson, harmless. I am not physically harming you in any way by doing this, I didn’t ruin a game save or do anything permanent or degrading, like me losing sleep, for example. You get it?” “I get it.” “Good. April, do you have anything to say?” The woman chuckled. “Have fun!” Connor then hung up the phone after she said that, ending the call after that comment. “Well, it seemed like that worked.” “There is no choice but for it to work, right?” The teenager chuckled. “Yeah, that’s true. Anyway, onward to the cars!” April grinned. “Man, I’m actually kind of glad we are doing this… I never expected I would want a fun car, let alone a stick…”

Connor grinned. “I ruined you, didn’t I?” April looked over in shock. “What makes you say that?” “I didn’t say it, Casey did…” “Did he really?” The teenager nodded. “He did, seriously. I’m guessing because he’s never seemed to get through to you about cars and stuff, and he was surprised I did. Have you ever had any interest in cars as a hobby or passion before this at all?” April shook her head. “Not really. I’ve always thought of cars that were just something to take you from A-to-B. I mean, Casey has a motorcycle, and I’ve just realized why he has it. It’s not the best thing to go to work with, but I finally realized he has it because he has fun with it…” “Exactly. You are really starting to sound like a car person, you know that?” “How?” “You have an interest in this sort of thing now… I mean, you don’t need to be a complete nut about it like me, knowing exactly what modifications you can do to a car to get the result you want, or knowing the torque spec of your subframe.” April chuckled. “No, I don’t want to go that far. I have a question though, if you don’t mind.” 

“Sure, what is it?” “The other night, you mentioned something about the clutch in these G37s going wrong, I was just wondering what happens.” Connor smiled. “Let’s see if I can break this down… You know how you press the pedal in and it disengages the clutch, separating the transmission and engine?” April nodded. “Can you guess how it works?” “Uh… You push the pedal in, and then it has like a little lever that goes down to the transmission and moves the clutch?” The teenager snorted. “Well, that’s one way they actually do it, in a direct-acting clutch setup. Those are more for race cars and stuff like that. In most cars, it uses hydraulics to put pressure on the pressure plate, pulling the clutch out. It’s pretty much like how your brakes work, you push the pedal and it pumps up pressure, sending fluid out to your brakes. But instead of brakes, it’s your clutch.” The woman nodded. “Gotcha… So, I push the clutch in and it sends fluid down to the transmission, and the clutch is pushed that way. So, what about that breaks on these cars?” “So, in the clutch system, there is a master and a slave cylinder. The master cylinder is in the engine bay, it holds the fluid reservoir. The slave in these G37s and 370Zs are in the transmission, and they fail, not allowing enough pressure to build up, so you can’t disengage the clutch, either locking you into a certain gear or not letting you shift at all.”

April cringed. “Is that bad?” “It is. However, there are fixes for it and different aftermarket replacement options, so it’s not that bad. Problem is, though, is when it’s going to fail in the one you are going to buy, not if.” April sighed. “Is it hard to replace?” “If I’m doing it, not really. Just remove the driveshaft, drop the transmission out and swap. If you are to do it at a dealer, it’ll be to the tune of almost two grand… But these “slave cylinder delete kits” that they have on the aftermarket are cheaper than that, and it’s a good excuse to get a stronger clutch too, at least while you’re in there… it’s good insurance to replace it anyway.” “Well, that’s good to know… anyway, we’re almost at the first dealer. Are you ready?” Connor nodded. “Buying, selling, trading… let’s play the game, shall we?” April just chuckled as they pulled into a used car lot, because it was pretty much a game, just with bigger consequences.

* * *

9:47 AM

* * *

Connor exhaled as he walked back toward April’s van. “Well, it seemed like that one was a bit of a wash, April…” The woman sighed. “Yeah, well. At least there’s another one a few miles from here we can go and see… and I’m not the biggest fan of silver, anyway.” The teenager chuckled. “That, and a fucked slave cylinder really doesn’t help matters, either.” He had taken the silver G37 out for a drive, and the clutch pedal stuck halfway into the travel, slowly roasting it on a short drive. The dealer didn’t budge on the price even after he and April tried to negotiate, so they were leaving. April got into the driver’s side of her van, starting it as Connor climbed into the passenger’s seat. “So, are we going to look at that black one next?” The teenager nodded. “Unless you want to drive into Pennsylvania and go look at that blue one that’s 2 grand over book price, yes we are.” “You know, I think we are going to have better luck with this one.” Connor nodded. “Me too. Anyway, what are you waiting for?” April tutted. “For you to stop talking, mostly.” The teenager laughed. “That’ll never happen… nice try though.” 

April just shook her head as she put her van into Reverse, backing out of the spot she parked in. Pulling out onto the main road, Connor smiled. “Even if looking at that silver one just now was a waste of time, at least we both learned something in that.” “True… don’t trust some guy who works at a buy-here-pay-here.” The teenager nodded. “Exactly.” Connor then pulled his phone out. “I’m calling the next dealer to tell them we’re on the way.” April nodded. “Alright.” The phone rung three times, and a man picked up on the other line. “Rockland Motors, you are speaking to James, how may I help you?” “Hello James, my name is Connor, and I am calling to tell you we are coming to look at one of your cars.” “That is great, and thank you for calling in advance. There’s a lot of people that just show up unannounced, it hampers our situation a bit.” “You’re welcome. We’re about fifteen minutes out right now, I thought I should tell you before we come.” “Can I get details about a car you are interested in?” “Uh… no. Adds a bit of suspense that way, and I won’t know if you’ve done anything to it in the meantime, like warm it up or anything…” 

James laughed on the other side of the line. “You’ve been in the game before, I can tell. Whatever you say, boss… See you when you get here, then?” Connor chuckled. “That is the plan. Thank you, James.” He then hung up, and April looked over with a smirk. “What did that person say?” “After I mentioned not wanting to tell him what car we were looking at, he knew exactly what I was hinting at. Dealers will try to warm up a car to hide a certain noise, or drive it around to get a clunk out of the suspension, yadda yadda. I’ve had to skip out on buying a car before due to that exact situation. When it was warm, it was fine, but when it was cold, it had some terrible lifter tick.” “So, dealers do that too?” “Not very often, but you never know… There are shady dealers everywhere, as we just found out.” “Can’t be too careful, especially when you’re about to spend fifteen grand on a car, huh?” Connor nodded. “Exactly. I don’t want any post-purchase regret to kick in, really.” April chuckled. “Me either… anyway, we’re about ten minutes from there, a little update I guess.” The teenager smiled. “I trust we’re going to make it on time… also, I’ve noticed you have gotten a lot smoother on the controls. My lesson has worked, I’m proud.” 

April grinned. “You know Casey said that, too.” Connor nodded. “He actually said it twice, he noticed when you were going around that course the other night that the van wasn’t rocking around as much as it used to… he said something to the effect of he hadn’t been able to teach you anything in three years, but I happened to over the course of a night.” The woman nodded. “You’re still mental, by the way.” “Oh, I already know that. That’s what makes me so charming, right?” “Well, I’ll say… maybe. The crazy teacher thing is one thing, but the planning a dinner for Don in secret is another. Have you even hinted at it yet?” Connor nodded. “I have… I made vague reference to how it’s after the Super Bowl, that it’s some kind of secret outing… but that’s about it. He doesn’t know shit about what I want to do or what’s happening when he’s out of the lair with me, hehe.” April laughed. “That’s good. I only wish Casey did something like that for us when we got together… His idea of a romantic dinner was pizza and beer…” Connor chuckled. “Did he not know pizza was second-date material?” “Nope, not at all. I mean, I was fine with it, but he learned that ‘night out with the guys’ isn’t anywhere near ‘decent date’.” 

Connor chuckled and shook his head. “You know, this’ll be like the first time I’ve been on anything even resembling a date with Don.” April looked over incredulously. “Really?” “Yep. Think about it, I didn’t have to go through the whole process of dating and shit with him, pretty much with a snap of my fingers we were together… He’s also not a human being, keep that in mind.” “Yeah, true… how is it all working out, anyway? I was afraid you would be too weirded out by the whole situation you’ve been in for this past while.” Connor sighed. “I’ve cracked here and there, like yesterday I did for a bit there. Ran off and just thought about shit. Now, I’m good though.” “Do you know what caused that?” “Well, me beating Raph in a fight, mostly.” “You kidding?” “Nope, I did. Another effect of that mutagen shit we found, I go into some fighter mode if I need to. It’s creepy.” “We didn’t see anything remotely relating to that in your DNA markers, either.” “That’s the thing, isn’t it? I’m like a mystery, in a way. No one knows what I really am, huh?” “Well, what I do know is we are here, so you might want to go inside and work your magic once we pull in.” “That won’t be a problem, and you know it. I just need to channel my dad’s exuberance and comedy in, and it’ll all go without a hitch.” 

April laughed as she got out of the van. “Sounds like my dad, too. The supreme bullshitter, I call him… He just feels like he has to inflate everything he does to people.” Connor nodded. “Exactly… Dad said to like tens of people that I was going to MIT at 16 and shit… Even after I told him to stop at least ten times. I might be smart, but I’m nowhere near that level. Plus, I hate spending that kind of money on anything.” April looked at him with a smirk. “So, spending three grand in the past week isn’t ‘that kind of money’… okay sure.” Connor chuckled and shook his head. “How about you go over to that G37, and I’ll work the guy in there to give us the keys for a couple of hours.” April nodded as he walked over to the black coupe on the other side of the lot, and Connor walked into the small office for the car lot. The bell for the door rung and a man in his thirties looked up from his computer. “May I help you?” Connor held out his hand with a smile. “I’m Connor. I believe we talked earlier on the phone. James, right?” The man nodded and shook Connor’s hand. “Yep, that’s me. I’m the only one in here at the moment, so I hope you don’t mind.” Connor shook his head. “That’s alright… honestly, I prefer it.”

James chuckled as he walked over to a box of keys. “What car were you going to look at?” “Uh, the black G37, if you don’t mind.” The man nodded as he grabbed the set of keys and a dealer plate. He handed these to Connor with a smirk. “Get back here before three and we’re all good, just don’t wrap the thing around a tree.” The teenager chuckled. “That won’t be a problem, I think. My friend outside is a bit of a serious buyer, so if she wants this thing, I would prefer it not be damaged, because I’m the guy who would have to fix it.” James laughed. “Alrighty then. Remember kid, I’m trusting you here. My ass is on the line if you screw that car up.” Connor nodded as he walked out the door. “Thanks again, James. Most other dealers would all be OCD and go with you as you take a test drive and all that.” “Remember, I don’t care really. Go out there… I wouldn’t say have fun, but have fun. Make sure it has some tread left after you get back, huh?” Connor chuckled. “Got it, thanks.” He then walked out into the lot, where April was peering into the black coupe. She noticed the teenager walking out of the office and smiled. 

“Got the keys?” Connor chuckled as he unlocked the car with the remote, making it chirp. “I just unlocked it. Can you pop the hood?” “Is it under the dash?” “I think so.” She then opened the driver’s door, reaching under the dash for the hood release. The panel popped open with a clunk, and Connor smiled. “Open it, I’ll screw this plate on the back.” April did so, lifting the Infiniti’s hood, the struts on it keeping it fully opened. Connor was turning the bolts for the plate into the bumper as she did that, using the multitool he had in his wallet to tighten them down. April walked over to the back and snorted as she saw that. “What even is that?” The teenager stood up, handing her the small metal gadget. “It’s a credit card multitool. I keep it in my wallet just in case, and it looks like today was one of those days, because I didn’t have any other tools with me. But look, the plate’s on, so that worked.” April smiled. “I should probably get one of those. How much was it?” “Eight bucks.” The woman’s eyes widened. “Really? That’s so cheap!” Connor nodded. “It’s pretty damn useful too. Anyway, get in the passenger’s seat, I’ll check the oil and stuff real quick and we can go.” 

“I’m not driving?” “Not yet, sorry. I’d like to get it to the dealer first and get it checked out first before you start driving it. What if the slave cylinder is fucked in this one, how would you react? I was able to limp that silver one back to the lot, but you never know.” April nodded. “Okay, I get that, sorry.” Connor shook his head. “I didn’t mean to offend you in any of that, it’s all for logical reasons. Anyway, I’m going to check the fluids first and we get going, how about that?” April shook her head as she sat in the passenger’s seat, gently closing the door. Connor looked around the engine bay. The coupe’s VQ37 engine was in great condition, there was only a small amount of grime on the plastic covers dotted around. He took the dipstick and pulled it out, muttering “God damnit, I have nothing to clean this off with… Hey April, do you have a tissue or something in your purse I can borrow?” The woman chuckled before she held a tissue out the window, and Connor took it shaking his head. He wiped off the dipstick before inserting it back into its tube, pulling it back out after. “Looks like it’s down half a quart, but this oil looks like it has been in there for about five thousand miles…” he said to himself before replacing the dipstick. 

The rest of the fluids in the engine bay looked to be in good shape. The coolant was still the right Nissan blue-green color, and the brake and clutch master cylinders were both full, with the brake fluid in them not smelling burnt or having a weird viscosity. Connor closed the hood gently, hard enough to make it latch, but not letting it fully slam down. Satisfied, he opened the driver’s door, sitting down in the leather seat. April looked over as he got in. “Did it all check out?” Connor nodded. “Everything seems to be in good shape… the oil is a little low, but with the mileage that this oil has been on, it seems perfectly normal. Anyway, we can continue the conversation after I get this PPI scheduled… sorry.” He opened his phone, calling the closest Infiniti dealer. 

The phone rung twice and a young woman picked up on the other line. “Hello, this is Pepe Infiniti, how may I assist you?” “Hello, I am interested in scheduling a pre-purchase inspection on an Infiniti I am planning on purchasing… I believe the service department would be more able to help me with that.” “Yes they would be, would you like me to patch you through?” “I would appreciate that, thank you.” “Please hold.” After about ten seconds, a man with a burly voice picked up. “Service department, how can I help ya?” “Hello, I’m wondering if you can do a PPI for me.” The man chuckled. “Sure can. What kind of car are you lookin’ at gettin’ done?” “A 2011 G37S coupe.” “Gotcha. Is it an auto or a stick?” “It’s a stick.” The man laughed. “It’s been a long time since we’ve had a stick back in these bays… Bring ‘er in. We’re open pretty much all day, so park somewhere and come into the service lobby, I’ll meet you here.” “Alright, thank you. Can I get your name, sir?” “Name’s Steve. What about you?” “Connor. We’ll be there in about twenty minutes, so be on the lookout…” Steve chuckled. “Aight, we’ll be waitin’.” Connor then hung up, and April chuckled. “I heard some of that… Guy sounds cool.” 

Connor nodded. “That’s the type of person I really like working with. Anyway, let’s get going, huh?” “That sounds like an okay idea.” The teenager just grinned as he put his seat belt on, adjusting the seat forward. “Seems like someone tall was driving this before me…” April snorted. “I know that one… Casey drives and then I need to slide the seat all the way back up so I can reach the pedals.” Connor just shook his head as he pushed the clutch pedal a couple of times. “Clutch feels better instantly than that last one… we’ll see how it grabs backing out of here.” He then pushed the start button, the V6 engine rumbling to life. It went to a smooth idle at 1200 RPM, because it was stone cold. April smiled and restarted the conversation. “I could get used to that sound, that’s for sure.” Connor grinned. “Yeah, it’s pretty intoxicating to say the least. Just wait till I get above 5 grand, that’s when these VQ motors start to really scream.” April chuckled. “So, what did that salesman guy say inside?” “He doesn’t give a shit what we do as long as we’re back before three and there’s some tread left on the tires… that’s a hint as to what we’re doing in this damp weather later.” 

April laughed as Connor pulled out onto the main road. “Really?” “Can’t have a rear-wheel drive car if you don’t know how to provoke power-on oversteer…” The woman sighed in the passenger’s seat. “Don’t scare me, please.” Connor shook his head. “Did I say I was doing it? Nope. You’re the one who’s going to be laying tire today, not me for once.” April chuckled. “Alright, fine. I still bet you could throw this thing around like it’s an extension of your own body.” The teenager nodded. “I could, but I don’t intend on doing so. I’m going to drive normally to the dealer… well, at least with a bit of vigor. Then you’re going to hop in, drive around to get a feel for it, and we will go from there. It’s kind of like that other night on the course, you got a feel for it, and you worked slowly but surely into going smoother and quicker. You just need to do that in this.” 

April nodded. “I guess so. But jeeze, even before I’ve bought the thing.” “That’s why we’re going to get this inspected by the dealer first with all of their special tools before I even let you in the driver’s seat. This thing feels solid, but you never know. What do you think so far?” The woman grinned. “I really like it. It’s pretty comfortable, and it seems like it’s fun to drive.” Connor nodded. “You’ll figure it out soon enough, trust me. There’s a reason I picked the G37 as your ideal car versus all of these other sporty luxury cars.” The woman smiled. “I bet there is… anyway, would you like some music?” “That would be nice, what do you have?” “You like 21 Savage?” Connor chuckled as he pulled up to a red light, first in line. “Why wouldn’t I?” April shrugged as she picked a song. ‘Skrrt Skrrt’ started playing over the car’s Bose stereo system, a 808 bassline playing through the woofers in the doors and rear deck. “Is this song a coincidence?” “Uhh, no, why?” “The speed limit up there is 55, we are the first in line… and I’m turning traction control off right now…” April laughed. “I mean, I guess it was. Have fun?” “It’s not a question.” The light turned green, and Connor revved the engine to 5 grand before popping the clutch, spinning the rear tires up. Holding on the throttle, the wheelspin continued to about thirty miles per hour, before the rear end caught traction. He shifted into third, and the woman in the passenger’s seat started laughing. 

 

“That was a lot of smoke you left back there…” Connor peeked up in the rearview to see a waft of smoke laying near the ground behind them. “It’s not that much… you’re going to be producing more later, trust me.” He tapped the button for VDC, turning the traction control back on. Stopping at another traffic light, April sighed. “You surprised me there for a second, giving me no warning we were just going to shoot off like that.” Connor grinned. “If I hadn’t kept the tires lit up, we would have gone quicker. The ideal way to do it is minimize wheelspin… but that’s no fun.” “I can tell, you have a massive grin on your face right now. Anyway, how long until we get there?” “About ten minutes or so, unless you want me to halve that.” “No, no, that’ll be alright.” Connor chuckled. “I knew you’d say that… and I really don’t want to be going a hundred and thirty in this thing, really. It can do it, but you’re in the passenger’s seat.” April smirked. “That’s good that you care about me, at least.” Connor just shook his head as he continued to pilot the black coupe toward the dealership, pulling into the lot eight minutes later.

“God, there are so many Infinitis here…” April commented as they slowly rolled toward the large building. Connor nodded. “I guess we’re in the right place, huh?” “Yeah… man look at these new cars… forty, fifty grand! That’s pretty crazy that this one is almost the same thing for fifteen…” “And that’s how depreciation works. Isn’t it great?” The woman nodded. “That’s why we’re here, isn’t it?” “Pretty much. Can you help me find a spot?” April smiled as the two slowly drove through rows of new cars, and she noticed an opening near the service department. “There’s a spot up there between that red SUV and that silver sedan up there, Connor.” The teenager nodded as he noticed it, gently turning the coupe into that spot soon after. He put the car into Neutral and pulled up the handbrake, shutting the engine off after. “Well, we’re here. I’m going to see if I can find the guy we talked to, then I guess we’ll hang out in the lobby until they’re done with the inspection. I figure it should take anywhere from forty-five minutes to an hour or so.” April nodded. “That’s not too bad. I wonder if they would find anything wrong with it.” “Well, the oil needs to be changed in twenty-five hundred miles or so, but that’s all I noticed. Suspension feels tight, the alignment feels like it’s in spec… so we’ll see.” There are probably a couple of minor things wrong, but that’s what I expect.” 

April nodded. “So, are we going in?” Connor slotted the car into first gear, and smirked. “Now we are. Please take all personal belongings with you, and return trays to their upright, locked position… Thank you for flying Connor Airlines.” The woman chuckled as she got out of the car, closing the passenger’s door. The teenager looked around the interior, to make sure he wasn’t missing anything. The keyfobs were in his pocket, there was nothing he left in the cupholders or center console, so he got out, closing his door and locking the car. It chirped as he did so, and he smiled as he walked toward the service department, April following him in. He held the door for her, and she shook her head. “Thanks, but you didn’t need to do that.” Connor shrugged. “Whatever.” April sat in a chair in the lobby as the teenager walked up to the desk. The man looked up and smiled. “Ya Connor?” “Yep, that’s me. I can see that you’re Steve… nice to meet you.” Steve nodded. “So, for a PPI, I’m just gonna need some form of ID and then your keys, I’ll take it in the back.” “No one else can drive stick?” Steve chuckled and shook his head. “Nope, all these new guys don’t know how to, and I’m the only older guy in here today… who is that over there, by the way?” Connor looked over to April and chuckled. “She’s my friend, the one actually interested in buying this thing. I’m the one helping her out, if you will.”

Steve laughed. “I get it. Anyway, I need that stuff before we start this inspection.” Connor grinned and took his ID out of his wallet, and the keyfobs out of his pocket. “There’s those.” “Thank you. Is there anything I need to put in here before I drive it in the back?” “Oh, the oil needs to be changed, I’ll get that on my own time. It has another couple thousand left in it, so that’s pretty much whatever. Just write down “don’t check oil” or something to that effect.” Steve nodded. “Gotcha. If you did wanna get it changed though, it’d be like thirty bucks.” Connor shook his head. “I know you would probably throw some synthetic blend crap in there, which I don’t want… Just get the inspection done and tell me what’s wrong with the thing.” Steve stood up, nodding. “It’ll be about an hour… we charge hour book time for this, so I’m gonna make sure you get the full hour.” The teenager nodded. “I would appreciate that, thank you.” Steve then walked out of the service department, and Connor sat down next to April. “Well, it seems like that went well.” “I believe it did. We’re going to be here for about an hour, so there’s that.” The woman groaned. “At least it’ll be worth it, huh?” 

Connor’s phone started buzzing in his pocket, and he pulled it out. Don was on the screen, calling him. He answered, putting his phone to his ear. “Hey babe, what’s up?” The turtle chuckled on the other line. “Well, Mikey’s tormenting Raph… and you specifically told me to tell you if he did.” “Ugh, I told him what would happen if he did… Do you think you could patch me to his phone?” “Course I can, babe.” The phone then rung again, and Mikey picked up. “Hello?” “Don told me you’re tormenting Raph… you know what that means, right? Put the phone on speaker.” Mikey did so, and Connor started speaking. “Raph, I told Mikey that if he started tormenting you, you had the full jurisdiction to beat a hole in him… you going to take that offer?” The red-banded turtle chuckled. “Why not? Any limit to what I can do?” “No broken bones or permanent damage. If I come home and he’s bruised, I won’t be mad…” Mikey piped up. “C-can you tell him not to, Connor?” The human chuckled. “Of course… If you stop being such a prick, maybe you’ll get to bed tonight unscathed, how about that?” The orange-banded turtle immediately agreed, and Raph groaned. “Damnit… I wanted to break something of his today.” Connor laughed. “Sorry buddy.” He then went into his dad-voice. “One more chance, Mikey!” Mikey whimpered. “I’m sorry… I won’t do it again tonight, I promise!” “Good. I’m hanging up.”

The teenager hung up the phone, and April chuckled. “Is Mikey getting into trouble again?” “I thought that was a given. He was getting on Raph’s nerves again, which isn’t a great thing to be doing. So, I scared him a bit, and that was that.” April chuckled as Connor texted Don, typing “Thanks for telling me that babe, tell me if Mikey acts up again.” The typing indicator came up, and Don replied with “You’re welcome. Where are you guys right now?” “At the Infiniti dealer getting a PPI done. Last car we looked at had a fucked clutch slave.” “That’s not good. How bad was it?” “Clutch rested halfway to the floor, barely pushing against the pressure plate.” “Ouch. Is this one you’re looking at in better shape?” “For sure. Same price, too. Salesman pretty much gave us free reign, which is nice.” “That’s cool. Anyway, I need to get back to work, babe. Love you.” Connor grinned as he typed “I love you too, babe,” putting a heart emoji next to it. April saw that and smiled. 

“You love him, don’t you?” Connor looked over, tutting. “Why wouldn’t I? He’s wonderful.” She shrugged. “If I were you, I’d still be quite hesitant about going into a relationship with a turtle… but it seems like it worked out.” The teenager cocked his head back and forth. “Well, to be honest, I still think it’s weird. I’m a normal guy… Yet all this shit’s happened to me in the past two weeks and here we are… so really, in the scheme of things, Don being my boyfriend is the least weird thing to have happened.” April smiled. “I guess that’s true. I would just have been doubting myself about it for a week or two.” Connor shook his head. “Splinter said something about how when he saw me for the first time, he kinda knew we would be together… and then I noticed Don giving me these lusty looks… so then I was just like ‘fuck it, let’s see where this takes me.’ Now I know that decision wasn’t all that bad.” 

April nodded. “I still don’t quite get it, but okay. As long as you’re happy.” The teenager chuckled. “No, the one I don’t get is Mikey and Nano… the guy’s a robot, like… how?” April chuckled. “I haven’t even put any thought into that one…” Connor just shook his head. “I can’t figure it out, and that’s saying something. I mean at least I’m screwing something remotely like a human being here.” April laughed. “That’s true. I guess I should ask Mikey how they work together, I guess?” Connor nodded. “That’d be a better idea than asking me, that’s for sure. I don’t really care enough to ask is all.” “Yeah, that sounds about right. Anyway, how long have we been in here, anyway?” Connor looked down at his watch, chuckling. “Like ten minutes.” “Really?” “Yep.” “It feels so much longer than that…” “Trust me, I know…” 

The two continued to talk about various things, from relationships to cars, and even what Connor was going to cook for his dinner with Don. Soon enough, the hour was up.

* * *

11:18 AM

* * *

Steve walked into the lobby of the service department, noticing Connor on his phone next to his friend. “Yo, car’s done.” The teenager looked up and nodded, standing up and walking toward the main desk. “How much do I owe you?” Steve punched in a few things on the computer, and a total came up. “Uh, ninety-three bucks with tax.” “You take debit?” “Yup, I can swipe it right here.” Connor held out his card, and Steve swiped it in the point-of-sale machine. A receipt printed, and Steve stapled it to the work order in his hand. “Any bad news?” Steve shook his head. “Nope, that G37 of yours is in great shape, everything’s wearing just like it should be. Suspension is good, ball joints in the back end are all still tight… Nothing showed up on our scanners, and all the rest of it is in good shape. Just follow the schedule, be careful about the clutch slave.” Connor nodded. “I was planning on getting one of those delete kits when it does go.” Steve nodded. “Great idea... Also, I ran the numbers through our system, and that is one of 1200-ish 2011 G37 coupes in stick.” Connor chuckled. “No wonder there were only three for sale in all of the metro area, huh?” “Might be. Car’s parked out back, here’s your keys back.” The teenager smirked as he took them back. 

“Come on April, let’s get out of here huh?” The woman stood up, getting her purse. “And uh Steve, thanks again. Saving my ass with all of that.” The man chuckled and waved his hand in the air. “It’s my job to be a miracle worker.” Connor chuckled as he walked out of the service department lobby, handing the keys to April. “Your turn.” The woman smirked as they walked back toward the black coupe. “Did he say there was anything wrong with the car?” Connor shook his head. “Surprisingly, not really. Just normal wear and tear. Also, you might need to adjust the seat when we get in, because he probably moved it back to drive into the shop.” “I figured I had to, anyway.” “This thing has memory seats too, so if Casey has to drive it… which you probably won’t let him do, of course… he can just push a button and the seat will slide to where he needs it, and you do the same. It sets the seats and the outside mirrors, so you don’t need to worry about that.” “That’s so cool! Yeah, my van really isn’t the most luxurious thing, and this is like leagues above that.” Connor nodded. “And it’s fun to drive, which is what you wanted, of course.” 

April chuckled. “Anything I should know before I get in?” “Uh, the clutch mostly. The travel from top to bottom is kind of long, so don’t be surprised when it feels like it keeps going and going. It’s not that bad in the scheme of things, but compared to my car you can tell. It’s also kind of heavy, but you’ll be okay. It’s pretty easy to get used to.” “Got it. Anything else really?” “No, everything else you can figure out pretty quickly. It doesn’t feel like your van, that’s for sure.” The woman smiled as she sat down into the driver’s seat, holding her purse. Connor got into the passenger’s side, chuckling. “Trying to find a place for that?” April nodded. “Uh, I don’t want to ruin your side by putting it over there.” “You can put it behind one of the seats, I guess. It won’t move around and you can still kind of get to it?” “That’ll have to work…” Connor chuckled. “That’s what happens when you have an actual shifter and stuff between the seats, sorry.” “That’s alright. So, how do I start this thing up?” “Put it into Neutral, keep your foot on the clutch, hit the button.” “What if I don’t have my foot on the clutch?” “Try it.” She hit the start button, but nothing happened. Laughing after, she noticed the gauge cluster. “So, it’s telling me to put my foot on the clutch. That’s actually pretty cool.” 

Connor nodded. “A lot of other warnings and other data can come up on that little screen over there… and I’m not even going to dive into this navigation system with you… That’s on your own time.” April chuckled. “I didn’t think you would run through it all, anyway. How much do you know about this system, anyway?” “Not much. But when we get home, I’d suggest you take the owner’s manual out and just run through all the functions and stuff… that’ll probably teach you more than I would be able to poking through it… anyway, I’m going to find a spot to hoon this thing around in. Public streets generally aren’t the best for doing donuts.” He scrolled through his phone, finding what looked to be an empty neighborhood north of where they were. “Hmm… do you think a neighborhood that’s still barely constructed is safe?” April paused. “Maybe, just depends on if any workers are there. Can we go and scout it out first?” Connor nodded. “I’ll see if I can punch the address in this navigation system… gotta learn somehow.” 

He then flicked through the pages of the navigation system, finally inputting the address into it a minute later. “There we go, let’s see if that works.” A synthesized female voice spoke through the speakers, saying “Turn left onto Central Avenue.” April shrugged. “Seems like it works. I hope we don’t get lost with this, though.” “Don’t worry, I have the directions up on my phone too, so we’ll see what Google says to do if we get lost.” “Got it. Should we get out of here?” “That sounds like a good idea.” “How do I put it into Reverse? I noticed it has six gears, but where is Reverse?” “Oh, go over to the right, and push down on the shifter itself. Then just slot it in Reverse.” April chuckled as she shifted, backing the car out of the spot. She noticed the difference in the clutch feel immediately. “Oh wow, you weren’t kidding about this clutch… I like how it feels, though.” Connor grinned. “That’s good, I was worried you would complain about it. What do you think about the bite?” “It’s alright, I guess? I don’t know how to describe clutches, really… This is the second time I’ve driven stick, remember.” “Oh, I know. Just wondering is all.” She shook her head as she drove through the parking lots, eventually ending up at a traffic light. Popping the transmission into Neutral, she chuckled. 

“I really like this car… and I haven’t even barely driven it yet. It’s comfortable, it sounds good, and it seems like it’s in good shape from what you said.” “That’s good to hear. I have a bit of a challenge for you.” April sighed. “What?” “Once you make this corner in first gear, floor it. Keep it in first until you hit 7500 RPM, then shift into second, keeping your foot in it.” “Uh… okay. If I’m going all-out like that, what do I do with the clutch?” “Same thing you do when shifting normally… but quicker. Once the clutch is on the floor, you should have the shifter already in second.” The light turned green, and April carefully eased off the clutch in First, turning around the corner. Once she straightened out, Connor said “go”, and she floored the throttle. The engine revved quickly from three thousand to six thousand RPM, and April watched the tachometer. As soon as it reached 7,000, she put the clutch in, shifting into second. Letting the clutch out quickly, she started grinning as she floored it in second, the coupe gaining speed as she did so. A traffic light ahead turned red, so she put it in Neutral and coasted to a stop. 

“So, how was that?” April laughed. “Okay, now I’m sold. This thing is so fast!” Connor chuckled. “That was the point, after all. You can drive it a bit easier now, that was all of the full-throttle driving I ask of you for right now.” The woman nodded, before she chuckled again. “It feels like it just keeps going and going all the way until you need to shift…” The teenager nodded. “That’s a characteristic of high-revving naturally aspirated engines like this.” April held up a finger. “What does naturally aspirated mean?” “It doesn’t have a turbocharger or a supercharger on it is all. The power is made only by compressing air, not it being forced in by other means.” “Oh, okay. I understand now. Are most cars like that?” “Yep, they are. But most cars also aren’t performance oriented, either… but a lot of very new cars have turbos and stuff, but they’re more for efficiency, not sheer power.” April laughed. “I think this is enough for right now… But, if I wanted more in the future, could you add it?” Connor nodded. “Pretty easily, just depends on how much you want to spend, of course. There’s an old expression from the hot-rodding community back in the day. ‘Speed costs money, how fast do you want to go?’” 

“Of course, you would know something like that. Anyway, I’m not planning to upgrade this thing anytime soon.” “That’s fine. Plus, I would rather you keep it as factory as possible, so it will stay as reliable as possible, especially if you’re going to drive this in place of your van.” The woman groaned. “That’s true. Anyway, I was just asking. Would the first thing to be upgraded be that clutch thing?” “Most likely. That would be the one weak point of this car if you are going to be driving it every day, of course… I have a plan already in my head for all of this if it goes to shit, so don’t worry about that.” “Alright, thanks… well, for all of this, really. I wouldn’t be here without your help.” Connor chuckled, but then his face twisted as the car shuddered to a stop. April’s face was ghost white. “What did I do wrong?” “It’s in third gear, April. You should generally start in first.” The woman just sighed as she slotted the shifter back into first gear, restarting the Infiniti. The person behind them laid on the horn, and April held a hand up, waving as she eased off the clutch, getting going again. “I’m such an idiot…” Connor shook his head. “I’ve done that personally about three times. Just experience and practice, really.” 

April sighed again, this time in relief. “Besides that stupid stall right there, how am I driving?” “Much better, actually. You are definitely a lot smoother, and you’re getting the hang of driving stick… although you still need some practice, but that’s obvious.” “That’s good, and yeah I know I do.” “How does this car feel to you?” April paused as she slotted the shifter into fourth gear. “It feels good… Like it’s planted to the road, and all the power it has is effortless in a way.” “That’s a good way to describe it. Anyway, thought I’d ask. We’re about a minute out, so watch on the right for where we need to turn.” April spotted the construction site ahead, and smiled. “It’s over there. Are we going to look for people first?” “That’s a good idea. We don’t really want the cops called on us, in a car that’s not ours yet, with a teenager from Georgia in the passenger’s seat.” The woman chuckled as she turned in, slowly rolling through the abandoned work site. There wasn’t a single work truck in sight, and the trailer-turned-office near the middle of the site was empty, with no lights on. “Seems like the guys are off today… there’s no cameras anywhere, either. So, I’m like eighty percent certain we’ll be okay… Go down to this cul-de-sac and park in it.” 

The woman did so, parking against the curb. “So, what am I going to do?” “First, do you see that button on your left labeled ‘VDC OFF’? Press it.” She did, and the VDC OFF light on the dashboard lit up, with the screen in the gauge cluster repeating the information. “So, what is this VDC thing, anyway?” Connor chuckled. “It’s called stability control. It tries to limit loss of traction when you’re on a slick road or whatever and keep you on the straight and narrow. However, when you are actively trying to induce wheelspin through a corner, it will cut all power and try to straighten you out, which I don’t want to happen.” Anyway, get in first gear and drive around this in a circle, slowly increasing speed up to about twenty or so.” April grinned as she set off, getting into a rhythm of driving around in a circle. “Okay, so listen to me. Put your foot on the clutch, rev it to about 5 grand, completely let off the clutch with the throttle still in. The back end will slide out, you will hold it out as long as you can, keeping on the gas.” “Ooookay… What if I spin out or something?” “Either let it fully spin, or slam on the brakes. Try not to aim for the curbs. Remember, look where you want to go.” The woman smiled. “So, clutch in with gas on, let go quickly, let rear slide out, counter it with the steering?” Connor nodded. “You know how you counter it in the snow? Like that, but try to keep that slide going.” 

The woman then popped the clutch in, revving the car quickly in first gear, before letting it out again. The back end started to slide out as power was transmitted, and April muttered out an “oh” as she started to counter it with the steering, adding opposite lock. “You got it, you got it! Hold it!” Adding more throttle, the V6 hung at around six thousand RPM as she slid around the cul-de-sac, drifting around it counter-clockwise. She did about three laps before she straightened it out, stopping. “How was that?” Connor’s eyes were wide. “Uhhhh…. That was amazing! I expected you to spin out or not have enough gas, but you held it in a drift perfectly. Think you can do it going the other way?” April laughed. “I would love to.” She then turned the car around, driving around the circle clockwise. “Ready?” “Sure am.” As April kicked the clutch, the back end slid out again, and she held it in a controlled slide. She did two laps and straightened out. “That was fun, Connor… like really fun.” 

Connor laughed. “Now you know why sometimes I drive like a lunatic… Next thing we need to do is turn the VDC back on.” She hit the button, and the system returned to its default setting. “Okay, what next?” “Drive around this cul-de-sac again, and try to clutch kick it. See what happens.” She slowly drove around the circle, revving the car up and popping the clutch. But the back end didn’t slide out, the car cut power and it applied the inner brakes to sharpen up the turning circle. “I can definitely tell it cut a bunch of power out.” Connor nodded. “That’s good. But you see what it’s designed to do now, right?” April nodded. “It probably would save you if you’re on a slippery road and the tires slip.” “Oh, I can completely vouch for that. Anyway, next thing is to go down this straight bit at about forty, then slam on the brakes. Like full-on, all the way to the floor.” “And I would put the clutch in as I did so?” “Yes, otherwise the car would stall, kind of like how you did it to the Escort.” 

April nodded. “Should I try to get there quickly?” “Well, we only have so much room, so as quickly as you feel comfortable.” She then set off, shifting into second gear at thirty miles per hour. As she got to forty, she popped in the clutch and slammed on the brakes. The car’s four-piston brake calipers squeezed down on the rotors, and Connor’s seat belt retractor locked. About a hundred feet later, the car was at a halt, and April leaned back. “I have a question, if you don’t mind.” “Sure, shoot.” “So, near the end there, the brake pedal felt like it was jumping up and down. Is that normal?” Connor nodded. “That was the anti-lock brakes kicking in. What the computer was doing is seeing when the tires were about to lock up, it released pressure, increased it again, yadda yadda. Except that happens a hundred times a second… so when the pressure is going up and down, you can feel it in the pedal. That is pretty much telling you’re on the very limit of your brakes.” “So, if I’m like driving hard and I feel that, that means the car was about to lock up, but didn’t?” “Exactly. But also at that same speed, the stability control would be keeping you in line too. The car will let you go definitely a bit too quick, but if you screw up or there’s a jolt in the road, it’ll save you to an extent.” 

The woman smiled. “Thanks for the explanation. Should we get out of here, you think?” Connor swiveled his head around and then nodded. “Yeah, I think we’ve used up our good graces here. I wonder how they’re going to react to the fresh set of tire marks.” April laughed. “I don’t think they’d care too much. Can you bring up directions back to the car lot?” The teenager chuckled. “On it.” He scrolled around his phone, bringing up turn-by-turn directions to the car lot they were at earlier. “It says we’ll be there in half an hour in the traffic right now.” “Gotcha. Do you want to swap seats?” Connor shook his head. “This’ll be your car, not mine.” “Okay, I thought I’d ask anyway.” Setting off, they looked around the abandoned neighborhood for anyone to be around, but there wasn’t. April pulled onto the main road quickly, trying to get out of the scene of the crime as soon as she could.

* * *

12:33 PM

* * *

April slowly pulled into the parking lot of the used car lot, parking the car near the front. She and Connor got out of the G37, going into the small office of the dealer. James looked up and chuckled as he noticed the two inside the lobby. “So, what did you think?” April replied. “I think we may have a deal.” “That’s great.” Connor chuckled. “And no, we don’t want the VIN etching or the seat protection… sorry about that.” James laughed. “We don’t do that kind of thing here, anyway. If you don’t mind following me into our miserable little finance office, we need to set this all up.” April nodded. “Well, let’s go then.” He then led them to a small room, with a desk and a computer at it. He sat down behind the desk, and the two sat in front of it in small fabric-upholstered chairs. “So, what payment plan are we doing today?” April chuckled. “Well, I was pre-approved for a loan from my lender… and here is the paperwork for that along with my ID. I think you can sort the rest out, correct?” 

James nodded. “Of course, of course. Most people rolling through here generally get a loan from our lenders, but this works just as well.” Connor chuckled. “It had better work. Anyway, James, thank you for letting us drive that thing around for a little while. Checked out at the Infiniti dealer, and we may have done some donuts in it… but now it’s not your problem anymore.” James laughed. “I did pretty much hint at that…” “Yep, and we took advantage of it. Also, she will be rolling out of here with a temporary tag and all that sort of thing, correct?” James nodded. “You did get temporary coverage through your insurer, correct, Miss O’Neil?” April smiled. “Got that all set up this morning even before we left.” “Great. In that case, yes you will be able to drive this around until you do get it registered in the state of New York, and there’s a bunch of fine print in that won’t let me get sued in there somewhere… We do have a small bit of paperwork to do, of course, but that shouldn’t be an issue. It’s like three pages worth of stuff, and I submit it straight to the DMV, so when you walk in, most of the work is done already… let me print out some copies and we can get this ball rolling, huh?” April nodded. “I’m fine with paperwork, so please do.” 

After about twenty minutes, all the necessary paperwork was filled out, and James handed April a temporary tag. “That should be all you need from here on out. Expires in a month, I think you get it.” April nodded as she took the piece of plastic. “Thank you, James.” He shook his head. “I should thank you, you bought the car from us after all.” Connor chuckled. “Come on, let’s get out of here, huh? You have a new car you should be driving, April.” “Okay, okay.” They then walked out of the office, April getting in her new Infiniti G37S. She started the car, but Connor tapped on the window. She rolled it down and smiled. “Hey, I guess we’re going to your place first. We need to drop off your van.” “Okay, I guess you’re following me?” Connor nodded. “I don’t know how to get to your place from anywhere but the lair… Also, I’m getting hungry, so maybe we could get a bite at your place?” “Sounds great.” “Hey, make sure I can still follow you, remember. This thing is quite a bit quicker than your van.” April laughed. “I’ll stick to max 10 over, how about that?” “As long as I can hold somewhere near you, we’ll be good.” “Alright. Oh, here’s the keys to my van… you might need those.” The teenager took them in his hand, smiling as he walked over to the white cargo van. 

He opened the door, and climbed into the driver’s seat. April’s normal seating position was close enough to his, and it didn’t matter as much in an automatic anyway. He adjusted the mirrors and nodded before he put his seat belt on. Turning the key in the ignition, the van started up, but it wasn’t as an involved affair as it was in the Infiniti. It was cold after sitting for three hours, so he let it idle for thirty seconds before he backed out of where it was parked. April was waiting across the lot, so he honked the horn to signal to her that she could leave. She pulled out onto the main road, turning left. Connor stopped to check traffic before he moved, pulling in behind her on a traffic light. April grinned in the mirror, holding a thumb up through the rear window. Connor chuckled and nodded exaggeratedly. The light turned green, but April left a bit of a gap between her and the car in front so she could get on it a bit, revving to what sounded around 4,000 RPM in first gear before shifting. “She’s really trying to have a bit of fun, isn’t she?”, Connor asked himself as he continued to follow the black coupe around the roads of suburban Rockland County. 

A few minutes later, the two merged onto the Palisades Interstate Parkway, this time going southbound. Connor decided he wanted to have a small race with April, so he pulled alongside her, gunning the throttle in the van. April saw that move, so she dropped two gears, doing a flyby on his left side. He laughed and pulled back in behind her, noticing April shaking her head in the mirror. The teenager shrugged in response, because there was no reason he could make up for the small exhibition he made April pull off. The two continued to drive in a convoy until they eventually made it closer to Manhattan, where April realized she didn’t have an EzPass transmitter in her new car, having to go through the cash booth for I-95. Connor started laughing as he saw that, smoothly going through the EzPass lanes, keeping left to go into the tunnel. April pulled into the booth, where the attendant was waiting. “It’ll be fifteen bucks, hon.” April groaned as she grabbed her purse, pulling two bills out of it. “There you go.” The attendant nodded. “Thank you.” The arm on the toll booth lifted up, and she sped off into the tunnel.

Connor looked back, because he heard a Nissan VQ-series V6 engine at full wail echoing through the tunnel. A black blob was in the rearview mirror, getting closer and closer to him. It passed him on the right side quickly, and he noticed it was April blasting by him. “How fast is she going, god damn... Seems like she was doing almost seventy just now…” He flicked his turn signal on to the right, passing a pickup truck that was in front of him. April was now in the left lane, in the flow of traffic. He got behind her, waving his hands in the air. “Why the hell did you do that?” She didn’t respond, ignoring the tirade in the van behind her. The two continued to drive for another twenty-five minutes, pulling up outside of April’s shop after. April parked her car on the side, and Connor parked behind her. Pulling up the handbrake and putting the car into first gear, she got out with her purse, locking it. Connor shut off the van, putting it into Park and pushing the parking brake down. He got out, starting the conversation. “What the hell was that?” April laughed. “I had to catch up to you somehow.” “By wringing out second gear? It’s not like I was going all that quickly, being stuck behind a truck…” The woman shrugged. “Plus, I wanted to put my foot in it a bit, I know you know that feeling.” Connor nodded. “But damn, not in the middle of New York traffic. Also, my car has a third of the horsepower this thing has, so I need to go full-throttle to get anywhere.” 

April chuckled. “Okay, I get it. Want to come in? I need to file this paperwork away for right now.” Connor nodded. “Sounds great, thank you.” “Oh, when we go over to your place, do you think we should bring Casey with us? He doesn’t even know what I bought yet.” The teenager chuckled. “You haven’t told him?” April shook her head. “Nope. I tried to make it a bit of a surprise for him. You know the type, figures it’s going to be American and there’s no other option.” “Yeah, I know that one. Let’s go inside first though, huh?” April nodded as she walked toward the doors of her shop, twisting the key inside the door. The smell of vintage furniture wafted out as she opened it, and they quickly went inside. “I have a question, Connor.” “Is it about the electronics? I’ve been working on them, don’t worry.” April chuckled. “Alright. Have a time you think you’ll be done with them?” “Uhh, Tuesday. Monday I’m going to be kind of busy… also if you don’t mind I’m keeping that TV. I need something to use as a test screen.” The woman laughed. “Yeah, that’s no problem, I get it. I’m guessing because it’s about Don?” Connor nodded as they went up the stairwell to their apartment. 

“Oh crap, I don’t have my house key on these keys yet, do you have the ones for my van in your pocket?” Connor dug around in his pocket, latching onto the keys. “Here you go.” Unlocking the door, she opened it, calling out. “I’m home babe!” Casey grunted from somewhere in the back of the apartment, and April chuckled. “Also, Connor’s with me…” The man grunted again before he walked out into the living room, noticing the teenager standing next to April. “Sup?” “Well, you’ll know what’s up soon enough. Care to do the honors, April?” The woman chuckled before she started. “As you know, we were out to find a car for me… and we found the perfect one… that happens to be downstairs right now… in my name…” Casey’s eyes widened. “Ya kiddin’?” Connor shook his head. “You need to guess what it is first.” “Can ya give me a hint?” “It has 6 cylinders and a manual transmission, rear wheel drive.” “Well, it’s not gonna be a Porsche, because I know Ape can’t afford one.” Connor nodded. “Not a Porsche of any sort.” “Is it like a V6 Mustang?” “Nope, it’s not that pathetic.” 

Casey laughed. “Not pathetic, and not a Porsche. I’m stumped.” Connor smirked. “Toss him the keys.” April took the keys to the G37 out of her purse, tossing them to her boyfriend. “An Infiniti?” Connor nodded. “Can you guess the model?” “It’s gotta be a G35.” The teenager chuckled. “Kinda. How about you come downstairs with us and you can see for yourself?” Casey snorted. “Aight, whatever you say.” April laughed. “Come on babe. You’re going to like it.” The three then went back down the stairs, and April had a lightbulb come on in her head when they reached the bottom. “Turn around, babe.” “Why?” “So you don’t see it, duh. I’ll lead you out.” Connor grinned as he dashed out, holding the door open. April pulled Casey out by the shoulders as he faced away from the outside, slowly walking him outside. “You can turn around now, babe.” He did so, looking at the car parked against the sidewalk. “So, this is a G37?” Connor nodded. “G37S to be specific, the sport model with all of the stuff that comes with it, like these four-piston brakes and the limited slip diff.” He nodded as he walked around the car, looking at the black paint gleam in the sun. “Paint’s in good shape.” April smiled. “How about this… maybe you could ride along with us to the lair?” 

The man chuckled. “I guess I could… I’m not gonna sit in the back of this thing, though.” Connor snorted. “I’ll sit behind April, don’t worry about that.” Casey exhaled. “Phew, thought I was about ta be holed in the back of this thing.” April laughed as she unlocked the doors. “It’s open, get in.” Casey got in the passenger’s seat, and Connor tipped the driver’s seat forward, so he could squeeze into the back. He sat down, buckling in. April smiled. “Can I move my seat back now?” The teenager nodded. She popped the seatback into its upright position, getting in after. She closed the door, and Casey smiled. “This thing is nice, babe. Do ya like it?” April shot a glare toward her boyfriend. “Babe, if I didn’t like it, I wouldn’t have bought it.” She then started the coupe, letting it idle for a bit. Casey started the conversation. “So, is there anything wrong with this thing?” Connor shook his head. “Oil needs to be changed in about twenty-five hundred miles, I’ll do that. We got a pre-purchase inspection at the Infiniti dealer, and it completely checked out. Shop manager said it was one of the best G37s he’d seen in the back for a while.” Casey chuckled. “That sounds like bullshit.” “It probably is, but whatever. Anyway, April, I think we should get going.” The woman smirked. “Okay.” “Casey, I want you to watch her, especially when it comes to shifting… you’ll be surprised.” The man chuckled as April slowly eased out of the parking spot, merging into the main traffic lane.

“Damn babe, that was pretty smooth… You’ve like actually taught her how ta drive stick, huh?” Connor chuckled. “You should have seen her earlier, doing a clutch drop going into a donut.” Casey froze. “You did donuts in this thing, Ape?” The woman nodded. His eyes widened. “Damn…” “They were pretty consistent too, believe it or not. Granted, I had to explain that we don’t generally do donuts on public streets.” “Anything else crazy ya two did while ya were gone?” Connor shook his head. “That’s pretty much it. I lit up the tires coming off a light, but that’s pretty much nothing. She learned what stability control does, and what it feels like when your ABS is starting to kick in.” April nodded. “And that I shouldn’t try to start off in third gear…” Casey laughed. “Don’t worry babe, I’ve done that before, too. I don’t have that problem anymore, though.” “Yeah, because you sold your car for a bike.” She started laughing. “Now you get to drive my van while I get to drive this luxury sport coupe around, shifting through the gears.” Connor chuckled. “Sounds about right. How do you feel about that, Casey?” “Not too good… I hate driving that damn thing.” 

April then had to slow down, so she rev-match downshifted twice, crawling around in second gear. Casey was awestruck. “Ya taught ‘er how ta rev match?” Connor nodded. “She can’t heel-toe yet, but a basic blip downshift is a piece of cake for her. Right, April?” The woman nodded. “I like doing that, plus the sound it makes when I do that is pretty nice.” Casey just laughed. “I can’t believe I’m hearing this… you’re driving stick in yer ‘new’ sports car, rev-match downshifting in traffic. It’s crazy, considering ya were fine with driving that van for the rest of yer life.” April chuckled. “Well, I’m embracing this new car-loving me now… thanks for opening my eyes up to all of this, Connor.” “It’s not a problem, April.” Casey groaned. “Now I see more money going inta car shit… I’ve always been kinda wanting for this ta happen… but now that it has, it feels weird.” Connor chuckled. “As you said, I’ve ruined her. Now you need to deal with it.” 

As they turned left onto 52nd Street, April commented. “We’re almost to the lair, Connor… will the garage open?” “It should once it recognizes my phone, but I can open it manually if I need to.” “Alright, thanks.” Casey grinned as he felt around the interior of the car. “I still can’t believe this is yers, babe. I really like it.” His girlfriend smiled. “Thanks… I don’t regret getting it, that’s for sure.” She then turned into the driveway for the garage, stopping. The door started to slowly lift, and she sighed in relief as she eased off the brake, rolling down the ramp into the main area of the garage. She stopped in the middle, parking the car and shutting it off. The three got out with varying degrees of gymnastics, standing up in the garage. “So, Connor, what’s the plan?” “Hang on.” Connor walked toward the workbenches, grabbing two spray bottles and two microfiber towels out of a cabinet. “Casey, take this.” He did, and he chuckled. “Instant spray detailer?” Connor nodded. “It’ll make it shine a bit more and protect it a bit… plus we can’t really wash this thing in here, so this’ll have to do.” 

Casey chuckled as he took the bottle and towel. “So, are we tryna get this done real quick?” “Preferably. You start in the back, I’ll go from the front.” The man nodded as he walked toward the rear of the coupe, spraying the paint down before wiping it off. Connor did so on the hood, carefully rubbing it off in straight lines. After about six minutes, the car was detailed, and the paint’s shine had grown a bit. April smiled. “That looks better, thanks you two.” Casey chuckled as he sat the detailer on the workbench, scooping April up off her legs after. “Don’t need ta thank me… I love ya, that’s all I need.” The woman in his arms grinned. “Me too, babe. Now let me down, I think we have some more business to do.”

* * *

3:37 PM

* * *

Don’s phone started ringing on his lab’s bench, and he picked it up, noticing Connor was calling him. “Hey babe, what’s up?” “We’re home. I’m in the garage with April and Casey with her new car… so I would say bring everyone up here, she would like to show everyone.” “Am I allowed to peek at the camera?” “Fuck no. Get your ass up here first.” “Fine, fine. I’ll get everyone up there ASAP.” “Alright, love you babe. See you when you get up here.” Don chuckled as he hung up the phone. His lover had a way to get him up and doing something, even if it was as insignificant as making everyone go into the garage for five minutes. April chuckled as Connor put his phone back in his pocket, smiling. “So they’re coming up here?” “Sometime soon, preferably. I don’t want to be here waiting for ten minutes.” 

Two minutes later, the elevator dinged, and everyone was crammed in it like a tin of sardines. The mass of bodies spilled out into the garage, and Splinter was the first one to speak as he walked around the car. “I must admit I do not know much about cars, but this does look quite nice. Is it comfortable?” April smiled. “Yes, it is. But Connor would agree with me in saying this, but the focus of this car is more for performance.” The rat nodded. “I understand. Do you like it?” “I love it.” “Well, that’s all that matters, isn’t it?” April smiled. “That is true.” Raph piped up. “Case, how much didja bet she’d come home in a ‘Stang?” The man chuckled. “Like fifty bucks, if I was bettin’.” Leo smiled. “Well, this isn’t a Mustang. How was the whole buying experience?” April smiled. “It went okay, I had everything already set up, so it was just a case of filling out paperwork. Connor helped me out with that too.” Don just grinned as he wrapped his arms around his boyfriend from behind. “This was a great choice, April. I hope he didn’t ruin all other cars for you or anything.” 

The woman chuckled. “We’ll see about that.” Mikey had been milling around, piping up now. “Can you start it up?” Connor smiled. “Hang on, let me turn on the ventilation.” He gently went out of Don’s grip, flipping a switch on the wall. “Alright, it’s good now. We don’t want to be passing out up here.” April then opened her car, popping in the clutch and starting her car. The V6 rumbled to life, and Mikey smiled. “Can you rev it up?” “If no one minds, sure.” Everyone shook their heads, so she stabbed the throttle. It revved up to near redline, and she let off before revving it up a couple more times. Letting the car go back to idle, she shut it off. Raph chuckled. “That thing doesn’t sound too bad. Is the exhaust all stock?” Connor nodded. “Entire car’s bone stock… although that may change in the future, of course.” April laughed. “Yeah, I’ll see if I want any more power or anything later. Anyway, we need to get out of here, I thought I would show this thing off a bit to you guys.” Don smiled. “Don’t feel guilty about it, I would have too.” Casey chuckled as he got into the passenger’s seat. “Now I’m kinda jealous, thanks Connor…” The teenager chuckled. “Sorry, not my fault bud. Go ride your bike or something.” “Sounds like a good idea. Ya wanna go out ridin’ later, Raph?” The red-banded turtle looked over to Leo, who nodded. “Guess that’s a yes. Meet ya at seven?” 

Casey nodded as he closed the door. The two buckled up, and April started the coupe, backing slowly out of the garage. The door lifted up, and April honked as she pulled onto the street, setting off back to her apartment. Usagi chuckled. “I didn’t really get to say anything in all of that, but I had a couple of questions, Connor.” The human smiled. “Sure, shoot.” “What kind of car was that, anyway?” “An Infiniti G37 coupe, a 2011 model.” Usagi quirked an eye ridge. “I don’t know what that means, honestly.” Connor chuckled. “I’d chalk it up to being a car that you can drive every day to work yet still have fun with. It’s not boring, but it’s not like a full-on racecar.” The rabbit nodded. “Okay, I get it now. Thanks for the explanation.” “Not a problem. Any other questions?” He looked around, noticing Raph and Don looking at each other. His lover looked over and nodded his head sideways, indicating the conversation would continue up in the garage. Connor twitched his head in response to respond, then chuckling. “Well, seems like not. You guys can go back downstairs now if you want to.” Leo, Splinter, Mikey, and Usagi did so, with Raph and Don staying where they were.

As the elevator doors closed, Don started the conversation. “So, we all know there’s bound to be something up with that Infiniti. Can you elaborate?” Connor nodded. “Clutch slave cylinders catastrophically fail in them, leaving the pedal on the floor. However, if hers goes out, I’m already planning to swap it out. Not too hard, drop trans, remove old one, replace with new aftermarket one. Other than that though, not too bad. It’s not a BMW or anything, so major issues are not very common. Trust me, reliability was definitely a major factor when I was looking through cars.” Don nodded. “Got it.” Raph chuckled. “She said something about wanting to upgrade it down the line, do you really think she needs it yet?” Connor shook his head. “Course not. It already has 330 horsepower at peak, but if she wants to spend a couple of grand, she can bump that up to 400 or so with an intake, exhaust, plenum spacer, and a tune. I’m saying it’ll be a year or so before we even get to that point though. She only hit the peak RPM once when we were out… and before you ask, she can pull off some consistent ass donuts.” 

Raph laughed. “Ya’ve gotta be shittin’ me.” Connor shook his head. “Told her how to turn stability control off, pop the clutch, counter it and hold it. Taught her what oversteer was and how to control it in more of a high-performance setting.” Don quirked an eye ridge. “But she kind of already knew what oversteer was, she drives in the snow in her van.” “Yeah, but when you are the one actively provoking it, it’s an entirely different ballgame.” “That is true. Also, just as a reminder, you still need to get the Xbox out of your car.” Connor laughed. “I do, that’s right. How has he been since you two were fighting, Raph?” “He’s been aight. Didn’t get on my nerves any more than he had, so there’s that.” “You two think he’s learned his lesson?” Don nodded. “For sure.” The human chuckled as he pushed the “DN” button on the lift, lowering his Escort down. Once it was near the ground, he twisted his key in the passenger’s door, opening it and taking the black console out of it. “Are you going to put your wheels back on now, babe?” Connor shook his head as he closed the door. “I don’t need to drive anywhere for a little while, and it’s not like it’s a three-minute job to put them back on.” 

Don smiled as he looked up and down his lover. “Come on, babe, let’s get downstairs.” Raph groaned. “Ya gonna stop the babe shit?” “Nope. You’re going to have a name for whoever you get with, so get used to it.” Connor laughed. “Damn babe, you’re sounding like me now. Guess I really do rub off on you.” Don pressed the button for the elevator, chuckling. “I guess so.” He then wrapped his arm around Connor, squeezing him gently. “It was an interesting day with Mikey being off the Xbox… he actually did a couple of productive things after practice for once.” “Did his practice change at all?” Raph chuckled. “He seemed more pissed, but that didn’t affect him all that much.” Connor shrugged. “Well, thought I’d ask anyway. I was fighting with a damn dealer about a silver G37 we were looking at when that happened. The slave already failed in that one, and the clutch was slipping as you added throttle. Not fun.” “Doesn’t sound like it would be.” 

The doors opened, and Connor and Don headed straight for the living room. Mikey was in his chair, holding a notebook. The human looked down on it to see a small variety of sketches. “Working on your art, I guess?” Mikey nodded. “I had nothing else to do.” “Well, now you do.” The turtle gazed up with a confused look before realizing Connor was holding his Xbox. “My Xbox! Thank you, thank you, thank you!” Connor chuckled. “Before you plug it in, what was the lesson learned?” “Pranks should be harmless.” “Good. Now, have fun. I think a couple of your online friends might be wondering where you went.” Satisfied, Connor sat down on the couch next to Don, leaning his head on his lover’s shoulder.

“Lesson worked, I hope.” The turtle snorted. “We shall see about that.” Connor wrapped his arm around Don, smiling as he did so. “I did kind of miss seeing you this morning, but I guess what I did with April today more than made up for it. Did you see the note I left you?” “Of course… I love you too. I like how you do that, by the way, thinking about me even when you have to leave early.” “I could have slept some more, but we had a certain moral of the story that needed to be set up first. Plus, I needed a shower before April came over anyway.” Don just chuckled as he watched Mikey boot up Fortnite. “Well, I guess it’s back to the incessant gunshots and reactions from the peanut gallery over there.” Connor groaned. “I know, but the lair was quiet for at least a few hours there… Plus, it doesn’t really feel like home if there’s sound not playing from something.” “You are right, it did feel pretty weird not to be hearing video games from this side of the lair for once… Anyway, want to relax here for a bit?” “After sitting in Manhattan traffic in April’s van? Course I do.” Don tutted as he held Connor a bit closer, because even if the human was sarcastic at times, he was still his lover, and nothing could change that.


	17. Burner

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm sorry I haven't updated the story in a while... Life happens.

RECOMMENDED LISTENING:  
Alive - Bleed From Within  
Metalcore track I personally have been blasting for about a week. It’s so good. 

Midnight Rendezvous - Casiopea   
A bit different than ‘normal’ fusion jazz, if you could even say that. It’s a little more downtempo and generally less rock-oriented than most fusion albums.

* * *

Wednesday, February 7, 2018, 6:43 PM

* * *

Raph pushed the button to the elevator with his right hand, his helmet being held in his left arm. As he stepped in the elevator, he couldn’t help but think about how he hadn’t even had the chance to ride his bike in over two weeks. As the doors opened into the garage, the slight frown on his face turning into a grin as he saw his bike gleaming in the light. He fished his keys out of his riding pants, holding them out as he got onto it. 

Flipping the kickstand up, he pulled the choke on with his left hand, turning the ignition on with his right. Pressing the start button, the bike rumbled to life. The turtle put on his helmet, fastening it at the bottom before turning the choke back off. The idle dropped, and he prepared to set off. Shifting into first gear, he eased off the clutch to slowly ride out of the garage, the door opening automatically as he did so. Turning left, he eased onto the throttle. “ _Still cold, so I can’t get on it yet…_ ” he thought to himself as he shifted into second, letting the bike warm up gently under low load. 

After a few minutes, Raph started to slowly work in more throttle, revving the bike up to about 7,000 RPM between shifts, changing lanes to dodge oblivious drivers. Soon enough, he was turning left onto 67th to get over to Casey’s apartment. He eased to the side of the street, putting it into Neutral before revving it up a few times to signal that he arrived. After a couple of minutes, Casey came out onto the sidewalk with his bike, and Raph got off his to talk to him. The human laughed. “Sup bud?” “Nothin’, just askin’ where ya wanna go.” Casey cocked his head sideways. “Hmm, I dunno. Maybe up to the 15? It’d be wide open here in a bit, we can really open it up.” Raph laughed. “Ya know what, that sounds like a good idea. I’ve been itchin’ to really ride for a while. I just wonder if you’re gonna keep up with me in that 600…” “You mean you’re gonna get ahead of me in that cruiser? Pfft… Good luck.” 

Raph just chuckled as he walked away. “Turn on your Sena, Case!” The human slipped on his helmet, as he did so, he turned on the device attached to it. The turtle did as well, so now they were able to talk to each other mid-ride, and listen to music as well through their phones. Now though, Casey’s voice came through Raph’s helmet. “Feels good to ride again, doesn’t it?” “Hell yeah it does… I was worried my carbs would get all clogged with shit cause I haven’t been ridin’.” Casey laughed. “Well sucks for you, I have a fuel injected bike… I don’t have to deal with all of that bullshit anymore.” Casey’s bike is a Yamaha R6, a high-strung sport bike more suited to a racetrack than the pothole-ridden streets of New York. Raph chuckled at the comment before he turned on some metal, a song from Bleed From Within. When they got onto open road, he started beating on some drums in mid-air. 

Casey saw that in his rearview mirrors and started laughing. “Yo Raph, you good?” “Yeah, I’m good.” “I’m not so sure, beating on invisible drums seems kinda sketchy… I’ll ask Don to check ya out, how about that?” “I thought I was good up until this point though…” “Nah, you’re fucked… just kiddin’. And yeah, I agree with you. Ape’s pretty much kept me at home for the past little while, I haven’t ridden in like two weeks…” “Same here. Only problem is that it’s not my girlfriend… it’s Connor. Ever since he showed up outta nowhere, the lair has been a bit off. Now Usagi’s living with us, and Nano’s apparently coming over on weekends now, which means I have less time to whack off.” Casey started laughing. “Bud, you need a girlfriend… Or a boyfriend, doesn’t matter to me of course.” Raph chuckled. “You know which of those it would be… but yeah. Everybody else in the house is fuckin’ beside me and Splinter…” The human continued the chain of laughter. “Might as well get with him then, he’s open isn’t he?” Raph’s voice became unamused. “Haha. Very funny.” Casey shrugged up ahead. “I guess that’s my job. Anyway, we’re about to get onto the 87, you know what to do.” 

He then blasted up the on-ramp, as Raph downshifted a few gears. The turtle twisted his wrist to full throttle, and the V-4 in his Magna sang all the way until 9,700 RPM, when he shifted up again. The two were dodging cars and lane splitting, generally making an effort to get through the sea of cars going north into Yonkers. Raph’s bike was generally a little less agile than Casey’s, but in situations like this, it evened out. He had tuned the suspension for maximum responsiveness, so leaning from side to side didn’t upset it in any way, and he could get as close to things as he wanted. The high-pitched scream of Casey’s bike was still ahead, but not by far. It was only so much longer until they were at the Connecticut border.

* * *

Carroll Gardens, Brooklyn  
Foot Headquarters, 3rd Floor, Office 1

* * *

Karai sat at her desk, looking at a picture of her and Shredder together. He had been her father figure, but even he was not immune to criticism. It’s a good thing that he was in Japan permanently, because grudges continued to extend internationally. Her father had a vengeance against many people, but Karai thought a few of them were frivolous, including the one against the Turtles. The woman put her arm on her desk, leaning her head against it. All she could do was think about the fact that Splinter was like the father she never had, yet deserved. She looked at the Turtles as quasi-brothers, considering the ways they were trained were very similar, and she had a likening towards a certain blue-banded turtle.

But her stupid love affairs weren’t the main point of contention in the office that night. In fact, it was the mysterious figure that seemed to join them only a short while ago. She needed more information, specifically from the one person in charge of overseeing goings-on in New York, and the rest of the United States for that matter. She pressed a button on her laptop, signaling down to the first floor that Karai needed attention. “Yes, Miss Karai, how can I help you?” asked a woman in some sort of administration position. “Can you send Steve up here please? It’s urgent.” “Right away, ma’am.” The virtual call clicked off, and the black-clad leader sighed. It was hard enough to head up a crime organization, even harder when a possible friend or foe was so unknown. 

A couple of faint knocks on the door sounded, and Karai responded with a “Come in!” A nervous-looking man barely stumbled into the office. “Y-yes, Miss? Can I h-help you?” The woman nodded. “Why, matter of fact, you are the person I needed to talk to right now. Sit down.” Steve shook a bit before taking a chair in front of Karai’s desk. She sighed. “So, as you relayed to me earlier, there is a certain… newcomer to those Turtles. How come I haven’t seen any information about this person? You do realize the reason we as an organization are still together is flow of information…” Steve’s hands slightly shook as she continued to speak. “So, do you get where I’m coming from here? I would appreciate if you could track down everything on this person, from speeding tickets to recent whereabouts. Got it?” Steve gulped and nodded. “Good. You are free to leave.” Steve quickly left the office, running down the hallway. 

Karai sighed before she pushed the button on her laptop again. “Do you need anything else, Miss Karai? Or has Steve not been in your presence?” Karai chuckled. “He’s not a problem. I need to see Amanda.” “Which one, ma’am? Expansions or Monitoring?” “Expansions, please.” “She will be there as soon as possible.” “Thank you.” A few moments later, a short blonde woman came into the small office. “You asked to see me, Miss?” Karai nodded. “Sit down. I have a small problem.” “Problem? Which is?” “Well, as you are aware, less than two weeks ago, one of our patrol vans was struck down, causing it to overturn and five of our own were killed. I’ve already talked to Steve, and he is tracking down on the person that van was chasing at the time. My question to you is this: Why the FUCK was one of our vans even remotely close to Georgia, and why the fuck do we need to chase this person from their workplace to… the middle of suburbia?” 

Amanda shuddered in her chair. “Well, we have been looking for suitable places to expand, and the Atlanta metro area seemed like a viable option.” Karai chuckled. “Why was I not informed of this? Did you get the orders straight from home or what? I didn’t authorize this stateside. Nothing goes over me, you got that? What is your title?” Amanda gulped. “Chief of Research for Expansion.” “So, does that automatically mean you can go over my head and start expanding in Atlanta? We’re under the water enough in New York! Weapons shipments are constantly being found, and you’re going behind my back to get into an entirely different region? Did headquarters approve of this?” Sarah nodded. “They wanted a second headquarters, somewhere different than New York, if I recall correctly.” “So, how come this hasn’t gone to my desk in the first place? I should have known SOMETHING about expansion into Atlanta, shouldn’t I? I’m the head of the Foot in all of the United States, remember!” 

The woman in the chair turned pale. “I-I’m s-sorry ma’am. How should I fix this?” Karai crossed her arms. “Well, for once, tell me when there’s a major decision like that. If you go against my back one more time, you are out on the street, got that? I can’t deal with bullshit like this from anyone!” Amanda started to tear up, but nodded. “Yes, ma’am.” “You are free to leave. Remember, one more chance, Amanda. One more!” The woman slowly got up, wiping her eyes before leaving the office. The door closed, but it opened again. Steve walked in with a healthy stack of paperwork. “This is all of the information I have found on that mysterious person, from birth records to employment and a bunch of other random sources.” Karai held out her hand, and she grasped the manila folder. “Let’s see here… born in Georgia, has social media accounts but doesn’t use them anymore, lives with parents, works at a tire shop, had a warning for speeding… So, I have a question.” 

Steve shuddered. “What is the question, ma’am?” Karai chuckled. “How come this average-ass person was in our radar? His grades are average, life is average teenager, working a dead-end job. He is nowhere near our material for even a low-level troop!” Steve gulped. “Well, if you go a few more pages in, we noticed a couple of movements within New York, which is to be expected, considering he’s living here now with the Turtles. Parked his car at Newark, and then went and got it back, but I couldn’t track where he took it, considering the Turtles have pretty much taken out all cameras and infrared sensors near their base, and I can’t track the car because it’s twenty-seven years old. There’s no sorts of computer on it that I can even get a data stream from.” Karai leaned back. “So, why is he in our sights again? Did we do anything to him?” 

“Matter of fact, yes. We did an inventory after the events of that van patrol, and we were missing a vial of 4A7 mutagen, an experimental blend right from our labs. The last page dictates what it would do once it is in the system. It’s nothing like our regular stuff, I will tell you that already.” The woman quirked an eyebrow as she pulled the last sheet out. It was a datasheet, filled with different variables and reactions. “Let’s see here. Increased muscular regeneration, highly increased stamina, quickened reflexes… unstoppable soldier capable of fighting at the flip of a switch?!? Why the fuck was that injected into this stupid kid? It wouldn’t do shit to him!” Steve shrugged. “The leader he killed knows exactly why, but I’m afraid we can’t ask her now.” Karai’s eyes widened. “He killed her? I thought it was part of the crash.” Steve shook his head. “Slit her throat with her own sword. Her bones in her left arm were cracked. Supposedly, it’s from being crushed. Other than that, we don’t know exactly what happened past that point, I’m afraid.” 

Karai sighed. “Well, if that’s all you got, I guess you can go. I’ll finish this off myself.” Steve stood up, bowed, and then left the office smoothly. The woman looked back down at the data sheet, intending to read more, but the phrase ‘unstoppable’ still showed through. The paper’s last paragraph read: 

“In multiple trials of 4A7, the test subject seemed to show a level of extra-focused anger and/or resentment, which results in a sudden phase shift in emotion. All semblance of self seems to dissipate, and a heightened fight response ensues. The cause is unknown as of yet, but a reasonable link seems to exist between pre-existing triggers and this reaction. Ultimately, this results in an unpredictable response, which is highly undesirable in a person who is to be involved in the Clan. This mutagen turns the test subject into a borderline unstoppable soldier capable of extreme fighting ‘at the flip of a switch’, as it were, but it also has the effect of draining the body quickly of energy, resulting in advanced levels of exhaustion, and worsened social responses. **DO NOT INJECT INTO ANY MEMBER OF THE CLAN, REJECTED FORMULA DUE TO UNPREDICTABLE RESULTS. IMMEDIATELY DISCARD PER ORDER OF LABORATORY HEAD, KEEP UNDER STRICT SECURITY UNTIL DISPOSED OF.** ”

* * *

Hutchinson River Parkway and North Ridge Street  
Rye Brook, New York

* * *

“Yo Case, last exit in New York, let’s go!” The human laughed over the headset. “Yeah buddy! When we cross the border, are we linin’ up?” Raph shrugged. “Guess we could. Got yer radar detector on?” “I will here in a second. Ya ready?” The turtle chuckled. “We bettin’ on top speed, or is it just get as high as ya can?” “The latter. I’d probably be wrong anyway.” The turtle laughed as he got alongside his friend. “Aight, in three, two, one?” “Yep.” The signs for the Connecticut border were ahead, so they both chanted out “THREE, TWO, ONE” as soon as they crossed. The two downshifted, rolling into the throttle on each of their bikes. Casey started to pull away first, but Raph kept up as soon as his bike got into the top end. With the human shifting at 14,500 RPM and the turtle at 9.700, they both got past triple-digit speeds easily. 

Raph tucked down into his bike, still holding on the throttle. “105… 115… 120…” he thought to himself as Casey pulled away. “Haha, see yaaaa!” he exclaimed as he got smaller and smaller in the turtle’s vision. Raph kept climbing in speed, however, because his bike was tuned for top-speed pursuits, compared to the standard model, which is meant for cruising around. The road was wide open for another two miles, so his wrist didn’t move. The upgraded carburetors he had on the bike dramatically improved top-end power, so the power didn’t really ‘stop’ past seven thousand RPM. After about a mile, however, the ride was over, and his bike was hitting redline at roughly 140 miles per hour before he had to lean in for a turn. “So, I just got to 140… what did ya get ta?” “I wasn’t really lookin’, but definitely over 150.” Raph laughed. “Shit. I guess I need more gearin’ then. I was tappin’ out right at the top of fifth…” 

Casey laughed. “I win! I’m at like 130 right now, some cunt cut in front of me while I was wide open. Asshole clench moment right there, lemme tell ya.” Raph chuckled as he continued the high-speed blast, because the amount of adrenaline flowing through his body was like a drug. However, his friend went back on the intercom. “So, where do you think we should turn around?” “How about after those corners at the country club?” “That works. I’ll tell ya if there are any cops up here.” Raph laughed. “Yeah, because I’m gonna see ya on the side of the road getting shot point-blank fer being such a retard.” Casey growled. “Try me, bitch. Try me. Wait, you can’t, because you can’t catch meeee!” “Just wait till I tell April about ya being a little bitch, using your bike to get away from my fists.” The human laughed. “Now that would be funny. Also, what do ya think about the whole Infiniti deal? You like it or not?” “I like the thing… I’m not the biggest Nissan guy, but it looks like it’s nice. Does she like it?” “She’s in fuckin’ love with the thing now. She was gone driving somewhere when I left.”

Before Casey could comment again, Raph’s phone was ringing through his helmet, and he groaned. “What now?” He pressed the button to answer. “What?” Leo’s voice came through the speakers. “Hey Raph, just asking where you are… no need to be rude.” “Well, Fearless, I’m doin’… one hundred and twenty-five miles per hour somewhere in Connecticut with Casey.” Leo groaned. “I won’t say anything, whatever. Just make it home in one piece, alright?” “Got it. Bye.” He hung up the phone, and Casey’s voice cut back on. “Yo, ya hear me?” “Sorry, Fearless just called me. Worrying about where I am and bullshit. He wasn’t pleased ta hear how fast I was goin’.” The human started laughing. “Is he like yer mother or somethin’?” “Ya know he tries ta be. I mean, it makes sense, but damn. What’s he doin’ right now, snugglin’ up against Usagi? He wouldn’t even know what this felt like.” “I dunno. Anyway, I’m pullin’ off now, so meet me at the country club?” “Will do.” 

After a couple of moments, Raph glided his bike down the off-ramp, braking and downshifting until he got to the traffic light at the bottom. When it turned green, he chuckled before he dumped the clutch, sending the front end of his bike into the air. Casey, from a few hundred feet away, saw that. “Hold it! Hold it!” Raph shook his head as he kept on the throttle, shifting into second. He continued the wheelie until he had to turn into the parking lot, dropping the front end back down. He pulled alongside his friend, who had his helmet off. “So, how hard was that?” Raph flipped the visor on his helmet up. “Kinda hard, actually. Gotta remember, this thing used to be a cruiser, it’s not a supersport like ya got. It just wanted to stay down…” “Makes sense, I guess. If I popped the clutch I’d be in the air for like a mile if I really worked for it.” Raph nodded. “Aight, wanna get back? I don’t think sittin’ at some country club in the middle of Connecticut is really the way ta go…” “Yeah, Ape’s gonna be pissed if I don’t get home soon. She just texted me too, so that’s great.” 

Raph laughed. “Well, let’s get goin’ then. Don’t want ya in the doghouse just because ya pulled up at midnight.” Casey nodded as he set back off, turning back onto the main road. The turtle shook his head before he flipped his visor down, following his friend as they both went southwest back toward New York City.

* * *

9:53 PM

* * *

The garage door automatically slid up as Raph walked his bike down the ramp leading inside. A few seconds later, he stopped, putting his kickstand down. Getting off the bike, a wave of heat radiated from the engine, as it had been run hard for the past couple of hours. As the turtle took off his helmet, the bike started to tick itself cool. Heading into the elevator, he started to take off his riding jacket, unzipping it as the doors opened into the lair. Ducking left into his room, he looked around before walking inside. Mikey had a propensity toward screwing with Raph’s stuff, especially in his room. The coast was clear today, so he put his helmet on his dresser, hanging up his jacket and pants to dry. Rain had come in during the later portion of the ride home, but at least he was dry. 

Tying his red mask on, he walked out of his room, heading toward Don’s lab. Knocking on the door a couple of times, he poked his head in. “Can I come in?” The purple-banded turtle nodded. “Sure, sit down over here.” Raph walked into the lab, dodging a couple of stacks of equipment. “So, my bike needs a bit of help.” Don looked over. “What do you mean by help?” “Well, I need more top speed. Case kept pulling on me in his R6 on an empty stretch.” Don chuckled. “What did you top out at?” “Pretty much right at one-forty.” Don sighed. “And you need more?” “Well, Case’s 600 got past 150, and if I’m needing to chase anyone in a 1000, I won’t have a fuckin’ chance.” Don looked at his computer. “Want me to look up more upgrades, then?” Raph nodded. “Not sayin’ this has ta be immediate, either.” “Well, this also means we probably need to bore it out, maybe to 800 or 850cc…” “That’s fine. Are there any options for cams or springs? Adding more top end will probably help, too.” Don shrugged. “I’ll look it up.” Raph stood up, grinning. “Thanks bro.” Don chuckled. “Anytime… even if it involves giving me another project.” 

Connor was on the couch, and he heard the faint sound of the door to the lab closing. He looked over his shoulder to see Raph exiting, heading toward the living room. “Sup Raph?” The turtle chuckled as he sat down. “I’m good now. Hadn’t rode my bike in like three weeks, so I really got a chance to open ‘er up.” The human grinned. “I bet you had fun. How fast did you get up to?” Raph mouthed out ‘one-forty’ to avoid anyone hearing, and Connor quirked an eyebrow before holding his hand out, gesturing ‘1’,’4’, and ‘0’ with it. Raph nodded, and Connor’s eyes widened. “Daaamn. Was it sketched out that high?” The turtle shook his head. “Tuned it for that really. Bike stock can only do a buck twenty, so it’s a bit quicker than that. I was just talking to Don about turning it up some more. I could barely keep up with Case’s 600.” “What kind of bike does he have, anyway?” “A Yamaha R6. It’s stock, but he just kept pulling.” 

Before the human could respond, however, Kuro decided to crawl onto his lap. “Aww, hey there buddy. What’s going on with you, huh? Do you wanna see Uncle Raph?” Kuro meowed, so Connor gently picked him up, holding the kitten against his chest. “Wanna hold him?” Raph held out his hand. “Course I will.” The human carefully lifted the kitten, setting him down on the turtle’s hand. “Be gentle with him, he’s still fragile you know.” Raph chuckled. “Why would I hurt something like this? He’s not worthy of my wrath.” Connor shrugged. “Who knows. Anyway, hold him real quick, you can help me feed him. It’s about time for that, I think.” He stood up, heading into the kitchen while Raph continued their conversation. “I feel a little nervous holding this little guy…” Connor laughed. “You’ll be fine. I think this is a Polaroid-worthy moment, though. The big beefy man’s man is nervous about holding a little kitten…” The turtle growled. “Want me to crush him?” The human grinned as he opened the fridge. “And there we are, back to normal. Just as life intended.” 

He popped some formula into the microwave, heating it up for thirty seconds. The microwave beeped, and he tested the temperature of the formula. “Eh, good enough. Little warm.” He took the bottle into the living room, handing it to Raph. “Let it drip into his mouth first, and once he latches on, gently squeeze. Like as gentle as you can manage.” The turtle nodded. “Got it. You gonna tell me when he’s done?” “You’ll be able to tell, but I’ll tell you just in case.” Raph then took the bottle, letting Kuro latch onto it and start drinking. Thirty seconds later, he asked “Is he about done?” “Eh, give it a few more seconds, he’ll stop drinking and start to spill out of his mouth a little bit. That’s when he’s full.” Raph nodded, and then took the bottle out of Kuro’s mouth. “Where should I put this?” “On the coffee table for now. I now need to stimulate him, ugh.” Raph quirked an eye ridge. “Stimulate?” “Make him use the bathroom. He can’t do it by himself yet, so here we are. Give it another week, and he should be able to.” 

A couple of moments later, Connor finished up with the feeding process, throwing the paper towel in the trash and putting the bottle of formula back in the fridge. Raph piped up. “Uhh, Connor, he yawned.” “Set him on his heating pad, blanket over him. He’ll fall right back to sleep, so you don’t need to worry about it.” “Gotcha.” The human then headed up the stairs, to go into the lab. He opened the door, and Don looked over. “Hey babe, what are you doing poking your head in here?” Connor grinned “I don’t know, maybe you could tell me.” He walked in, leaning against the wall near Don’s computer setup. “Just feels like I haven’t really seen you all day.” Don shrugged. “Well, you did go with April for the majority of the day to pick up that G37, and you were working on that stupid TV after that… How are those computers coming?” Connor chuckled. “Good, actually. Also, I found a cheap source of hydrogen peroxide.” The turtle’s eyes widened. “Really?” “Mmhm. Apparently, the stuff they use to bleach hair is like 12 percent hydrogen peroxide, and you can reduce it down to make it stronger by boiling off some of the water…” “Can you show me?” “Sure, bring up a new tab.” Connor punched in a beauty supply website, typing in ‘40 volume clear developer’ into the search bar. 

“There we go, 32 ounces for what, five bucks? One problem though, even though it is mostly water, there is a small amount of phosphoric acid in it. I think you have the ability to take that out or neutralize it, though.” Don nodded. “That’s simple enough to do.” Connor shrugged. “I had to ask, because I wouldn’t be able to do that… I’m not the biggest chemistry guy, if you can tell.” The turtle grinned. “That’s alright. Maybe if you bought a couple of bottles, you could get me one to test?” Connor chuckled before he walked over toward his lover, straddling his lap. “I don’t know why I couldn’t, it’s not a massive expenditure... Don quickly kissed him, dragging him in closer. “I’m glad. Anyway, I need to get back to work…” The human sighed. “Fine… Just blow me off like that, that’s fine…” Don chuckled. “Sorry, but this comparator is about to be done, and I need to look at the results.” Connor closed his eyes. “I’m just going to play dumb and get out of here, the genius needs to do super important things that I shouldn’t be involved in for fear of personal injury.” Don smiled. “You got it. Love you, babe.” The human opened his eyes and smiled before he stood up. “Love you too. Just spend some time with me later, please?” 

The turtle looked over, rubbing his eyes. “You know what… fuck this. You’re right. I can’t even think anymore. Maybe we could relax and you could put on some music?” Connor chuckled. “That’s what I wanted to hear. Sure I can.” Don followed him out of the lab, over to their room. As soon as the turtle was inside their bedroom, Connor closed and locked the door. Don grinned. “Was that out of habit, or what?” His lover shrugged. “I don’t know. I just thought you’d prefer to stay together in private… unless you’re some sort of exhibitionist.” He then flopped onto the bed as the turtle walked around the bedroom. “Well babe, I wouldn’t say I’m an exhibitionist in the slightest, so thank you for locking the door.” Connor paused for a second, thinking about what Raph said a few days ago. 

He just chuckled, and Don looked over. “What are you laughing about?” Connor coughed and shook his head. “Well, remember the first night we were together?” The turtle cocked his head. “Why wouldn’t I?” “Well, remember how I needed to tune the gain for my amplifier, and it was a really damn loud tone playing. I asked if he could hear that, and he said he didn’t hear a thing, because he thinks this room was designed to be soundproof. How true is that?” “Well, I don’t remember looking at the blueprints for this lair recently, but it sounds like that’s correct. You do need to consider that this lair used to be part of the sewer system, obviously, as some sort of quarters for workers. Some of the rooms do have thicker walls all around, and I think this was one of them, along with Splinter’s shoji I think. Why do you ask, anyway?” Connor smiled. “Just means no one can hear us… well, listening to music, or talking, or having sex. I just like that fact is all. It’s closed off from the rest of the house as long as that door is closed.”

Don nodded. “I like that too. Just you and me and the rest of the night, really.” He then leaned over, wrapping his arm around his lover. “And I wouldn’t let that go for the world.” Connor chuckled. “I’ve only been with you for what… A week? And you’re already sounding like you’re about to propose to me… Hell, we haven’t even had a good first date out yet, if that says anything.” The turtle slowly turned a shade of reddish-green. “Is that a bad thing?” The human shook his head and snorted. “No, it’s not. But for someone so calm and collected, you are irrational and wacky at times, I’ll say.” Don sighed. “Look in the mirror, babe.” Connor chuckled. “I already know I’m not so calm and collected in general, so that argument doesn’t apply. However, you may want to marry me soon enough, just wait…” 

The human snickered as he sat up, reaching for the keyboard. Don snorted. “What are you doing?” “Putting on some music, I thought that was what you asked for originally.” “It is, but what was that snicker for? Is it relating to your surprise in some way?” Connor shrugged. “Was it? Who knows. Anyway, what do you want to listen to?” “Surprise me.” The human chuckled. “Okay, whatever you say, babe.” He scrolled through his Spotify account to land in his fusion jazz playlist, putting on a song called “Midnight Rendezvous”. Turning the volume up, he grinned. “I forgot how good these speakers really are.” The turtle rubbed his hand on Connor’s shoulder. “They sound great. To be honest, that was one of the best finds I think I’ve been a part of there.” Connor looked over, smiling. “Well, I’m glad. However, there was one thing I picked up from the junkyard that night I couldn’t buy anywhere else…” 

He leaned over to kiss Don, who readily accepted. As the two got deeper into it, Connor started to run his hands down the turtle’s plastron before tapping to lift off. “I’ve got a question; What did you think when I first kissed you in my car at the junkyard?” Don paused for a second to gather a thought. “Well, I was in shock at first. Did you see what I looked like getting in?” Connor nodded. “You were highly disappointed about something… now I know you tried to get me in somehow before we left.” “Exactly. So, when you turned the ignition on, I was just about to cry, because I thought I missed a perfectly good opportunity, and here you are, crawling onto my lap, looking into me with your gorgeous eyes…” Connor smiled. “What about after the shock, then?” “I guess it shifted to lust. You just felt so warm and inviting, like… I don’t know, I can’t explain it really. What did you think about during all of that?” “Well, I noticed your little look when you were washing the dishes first… it’s hard to hide a full-body sweep, babe.” Don chuckled. “Yeah, I figured that out.” “So, after I noticed that, I realized you were eyeing me, so when I was at the junkyard, I turned the ignition on… and in my head, I just said ‘fuck it’ and decided to just kiss you right then and there. My thoughts were simpler at that point, I think.” 

Don grinned before he shifted over to his right, leaning against the human, head on chest. “I struggle with that. I overthink things a lot, which doesn’t help.” Connor hummed a bit, so the turtle could feel it, dropping his voice when he did start to speak. “Well, sometimes I do too. One thing I’ve learned from working on cars is that you start on the simplest things first. This applies more to mechanics, but I think you’ll get it. If your car doesn’t run, are you immediately going to hop into popping out the fuel injectors? Hell no. You’re going to jump the battery off, make sure it has fuel in it, yadda yadda. Also, if you have an idea of what you want to happen, it’s easier to make it go. Hell, when I kissed you, I knew what I was doing immediately… and I talked myself into just hopping over the console. I could have sat there and said ‘Well, should I? What if he doesn’t like me the same way I do?’ But I didn’t… and it seems like it worked.” Don chuckled. “I guess so. And yeah, I understand what you’re saying here. I just need to put it into practice is all.” Connor nodded. “And that’s one part of it too. Just say ‘fuck it’ sometimes, and all will be well in this world.” The turtle was about to respond, but he looked down. “You know what’s funny? Here I am with my head on your shoulder, and it looks like I’m taller than I am with my feet.” 

The human chuckled. “Well, you’re what… five ten? I’m five four. I’m a stump compared to you. Also, I don’t know why you insist on laying on my chest anyway, I’m all bony and thin...” Don laughed. “I couldn’t tell you that… I guess because you’re comfortable to lay on?” Connor smiled. “That works.” The two laid against each other for a moment, before a knock on the door surprised both. Connor barked out “The fuck do you want?” before Leo spoke through it. “Come on guys, you remember we had patrol tonight. It’s ten forty-five, late enough to get at least a couple of runs in.” Don groaned. “Fine. We’ll be out in a few.” The human chuckled. “We forgot about that, didn’t we?” Don nodded. “Sure did.” “Well, get up off me, I need to get ready to go out.” Don sat up and Connor slid off the bed, putting his shoes on. Tying them down, he stood up, grabbing his jacket. 

Walking out of their room, Connor did a quick pocket check before he walked down the stairs, heading into the dojo to get that infamous pair of tonfa he had been using for the past few days. Their wooden finish had been dulled away, with swords and other weapons of varying descriptions marring their sheen over time. “I wonder what Don actually got for me to be… better than these. They ought to be more ‘me’ than these, that’s a given…” Connor thought as he flipped them around in his hands. He muttered “What more could I ask for though, they do their job and they do it well…” as he walked out of the dojo, meeting the rest of the Turtles, Splinter, and Usagi in the living room. Leo looked up as Connor met with them. The human looked left to see Splinter and Usagi looking at the TV, discussing… something. “No, Usagi isn’t coming with us, before you ask.” 

Connor looked up at Leo with a confused look. “Why?” “His fighting style isn’t anywhere near ours, so he would be more of a hindrance in a fight than a help, especially out in the streets. You know he used to be a samurai, nowhere near what we do.” The human nodded. “Got it. So, are we about to go out, or?” Leo chuckled. “We were waiting for you, you ready to go? It looks like it.” Connor snorted. “Well, I do got everything I’d need… phone, tonfa, jacket, a brain that works halfway decently… yep I’m good.” Raph chuckled. “Let’s get outta here, Fearless.” Leo grimaced at the remark before he turned around, leading the troop of five up the stairs, before Don piped up. “Oh, hang on, I have something for all of us.” He dashed into his lab quickly before coming out with five small black devices. “I don’t know what to call these yet, but they’re little communicators. They should connect to your phone, and basically it allows us to talk through the cellular networks without any fuss.” 

The human held out his hand, having a small wireless earbud dropped in his hand. “So, this is like one of those old shitty Bluetooth things you see men in BMWs wearing, but better?” Don laughed. “I guess so. Also, you can either set them to push-to-talk or to listen all the time, so there’s that. I thought with these we could all split up individually, so we could cover more ground in a night without having to worry about communication.” Leo nodded as he screwed the small device into his ear. “So, these should work as-is right now?” Don nodded. “They take a small amount of power from your phone to operate, so watch out for that. I programmed them into our app, so it’ll work like any other communication device we’ve used in the past.” Connor leaned over to hug Don. “This is why you’re the genius of this family, babe. Anyway, let’s get out of here, huh?” 

Three minutes later, all of them were on the rooftop of the garage. Leo started discussing the patrol of that night. “Alright, since Don has so graciously given us these little devices, I feel good enough to where we can split up individually. Also, the fact that we now know Connor’s skill in fighting is also a major help in that decision, I may add.” The human chuckled. “Aww, thanks.” “Welcome. Just look out for any goings on, ask for backup if you need it, of course. Typical patrol stuff. If you don’t see anything, meet back at the garage at one?” Everyone either nodded or put a thumb up. “Any questions?” No one had any, so they all split up. Connor headed north, going along the rooftops slowly, looking down and hearing what could possibly go on as he did so. He had his tonfa inside his jacket, hidden enough to people who don’t know what he was carrying, yet exposed enough for quick access for a fight… one that he felt might happen soon enough.

* * *

11:53 PM

* * *

Connor had been mindlessly sitting on top of a roof somewhere, listening to the sounds of the city before what sounded like shattered glass sounded below him, a few hundred feet away. Quietly getting up, he tapped the side of his communicator twice to put it into “all time” mode, where everything the microphone picked up was sent to the Turtles. He quietly went down a fire escape, sliding down the ladder before he landed on the sidewalk with a quiet thud. Gripping his tonfa in the defensive position, he noticed a guy reaching into a Honda CR-V on the side of the road, opening the glovebox. The teenager snuck behind carefully before he yelled out “THE FUCK DO YOU THINK YOU’RE DOING?” The guy looked up, noticing the teen a few feet away. “The fuck ya think ye’re gonna do ta me, nigga?” He grabbed a GPS unit out of the car, before he pulled a gun out from his waist as he stood up. “Ya gonna try ta hurt me? I’ll fuckin’ clap ya, nigga.” Connor grinned and chuckled. “I’d like you to try. Please put the GPS back in the car.” 

The man laughed. “Fuck you, and if you think your weak ass is going to take me down…” He tried to pull the gun up towards Connor, but a quick flick of a tonfa launched it out of his hand, skittering down the sidewalk. “Oh no, look. The big bad petty thief is without his gun. What will he do now? Try to punch the little bitch? Run for the gun?” “The fu…” Another quick snap of a tonfa hit his head, making him gray out, losing his vision. Connor snorted. “That’s what the fuck I thought. Guns aren’t for big strong men, they’re for bitches.” A groan came from the man, as his knees buckled, slumping down against the side of the crossover, his arm laying in a pile of broken safety glass. Connor grabbed the TomTom GPS, setting it inside the car’s center console. After that, he jogged over to the gun that laid on the sidewalk, noticing it against the curb. Quickly he put it in his jacket before he ran for the fire escape, getting back onto the roof. “So, anyone else hear that?” Raph laughed. “Whatever that was was fuckin’ hilarious. What happened and where are ya?” “Fucker broke into a car for a damn GPS unit. Knocked him out, grabbed his gun. I was on 66th between… what, Park and Lexington?” 

Leo finally talked over the intercom. “So, are you alright?” “I’m good, just a bit shaken. A motherfucker just pulled a gun on me, duh.” “Well, that’s good to hear. Where is the gun?” “In my pocket. I’m gonna check it out when I get home, cross reference serial numbers, see what rounds are in it and all. I have basic experience with this stuff, so yeah. I don’t want anyone to fuck with me while I do so, though… because none of you guys have fucked with guns before, and I don’t want any of you guys to be hurt. That includes you, Mikey. You’re not touching this thing… period.” The orange-banded turtle whimpered. “Come on…” Don chuckled. “Mike, if he doesn’t want you touching a gun, you’re not going to touch it. What kind of gun is it, anyway?” “Well, there’s a Glock logo on it, so there’s that. I don’t know exactly what model it is by the look though. I’m not a gun expert but I’m going to learn quick.” Leo came back on. “So, are you going to meet us at the lair?” “Yep. See you there… in my workshop, at least.” 

Ten minutes later, Connor finally walked into the garage, hitting the button for the elevator. “Anyone else home yet?” Leo responded. “Yeah, we’re all downstairs. Meet us there?” “Let me get this damn gun out of my pocket and I’ll do that.” The elevator landed down at the lair, and Connor quickly set the Glock down on his workbench before he rushed down the stairs, meeting with the rest of the crew. Connor shook his head before he spoke. “Fuck thieves, honestly.” Leo grinned. “I can tell. Anyway, anything we need to know before you go and… do whatever with that gun?” Connor shook his head. “I’m going to have the door to my workshop closed, but if you want in, just knock. I don’t want the thing to accidentally fire at someone I didn’t know was there…” Leo nodded. “Got it. You heard him, you guys. Want me to talk to Splinter?” “Please. You know at least some of the backstory.” 

Leo saluted as he walked off, and suddenly, Don picked Connor up, spinning him around. “Babe, I didn’t expect you to hold your own, especially against a guy with a gun…” The human chuckled. “Only took two good whacks is all. Anyway, let me get to work. I really need to become an expert quick… ugh.” The turtle let him down, grinning. “Okay. I’m still proud of you, you know?” Connor blushed a bit. “It’s alright. Love you.” “Love you too. Get up there and figure that thing out, huh?” The human nodded before he walked up the stairs, into his workshop. 

Connor closed the door and turned on the light to see exactly what he was working with. Picking up the handgun, he carefully kept his fingers away from the trigger while he looked at the slide. “So, it’s a Glock 17… Gen 4… okay.” Typing that into his laptop, it brought up that it was a relatively recent model. He scrolled through a couple of gun pages, noticing that it seemed to be a very common handgun in both private and enforcement hands. With a seventeen-round magazine and a 9-millimeter caliber, it was as generic as you could get. “Is this thing even loaded?” he asked himself as he looked down. One of the main tenets of gun safety is that you treat every gun like it is loaded, even if it wasn’t. Pressing the magazine release button, it slid out, revealing a full clip. “All seventeen rounds are in there… what about the barrel…” He slid the slide back, and another 9-millimeter round came out. “So, this guy had an entirely full gun. Interesting.” He looked at one of the bullets and noticed something off about it. “This doesn’t look right…” he muttered to himself as he brought up pictures of rounds in that same size.

Scrolling through some pictures, he found one that looked identical to the one he had in his hand. “What is this…” He clicked onto the page, and on the top, it said “9MM Hollow-point 115gr ammunition, 50 count box”. Connor’s eyes widened. “These are hollow points? God damn…” He looked back down at the table, perplexed. “Has this thing even been fired? It had a full clip of hollow points, and it looks like it’s in good shape…” He pulled the slide back, let it go, and then opened the slide lock to get it to come off the gun’s receiver. Inside, it looked like it was brand new. There were no signs of any powder or residue inside, and even the inside of the barrel was whistle clean. However, while he pondered exactly why a street thug would have a brand-new gun, someone knocked twice on the door. “Come in.” Don poked his head in the door. “I have some news, and it pertains to you.” The human looked up, confused. “Okay?” The turtle opened the door the rest of the way, standing against the wall. 

“Look at this.” He handed Connor his phone, and an article was pulled up. “Man found on side of 66th Avenue unconscious” was the title. He scrolled down to see a picture of a crime scene, with caution tape around the CR-V the thief broke into. Connor started to read aloud. “A man was found an hour ago unconscious outside an apartment building in Midtown, eyewitnesses believe he was breaking into the Honda CR-V in the picture above. A person was seen fighting the suspect before he was found, but police do not know the whereabouts of this person. If you have any information, please inform the New York Police Department immediately.” 

Don looked down. “So, they don’t know who you are or where you went. That’s good. Bad news is that someone saw you knock this guy out.” Connor shrugged. “Well, I’m guessing no cameras or anything caught my face, so that’s a start. Do you know what happened to the guy I knocked out?” The turtle smirked. “He’s probably in some interrogation room or holding cell somewhere. I think you have nothing to worry about, babe.” Connor nodded. “Okay. Well, I am a little perplexed. Come look over here.” Don looked down at the workbench. “What am I supposed to be looking at?” Connor held up the gun’s receiver, and Don took it. “Tell me that doesn’t look brand new.” The turtle looked at it in the light, and he nodded. “It does.” Connor then held up the magazine. “This is also a full magazine of… hollow point rounds.” Don’s eyes widened. “Really?” “Mmhm. This guy must have just bought this damn thing and filled it up earlier, at least that’s what I’m guessing. I’m glad this thing isn’t in his hands, that’s for damn sure.” “What are you going to do with it though?” Connor shrugged again. “Put it back together for right now, at least. There’s nothing else I can do with it besides probably use it as a backup weapon for an absolute worst-case scenario. Plus, I’m not out any money, so I can just ditch it if I need to. My fingerprints aren’t in any criminal database, no one is looking for me on that level, so there’s that.” 

Don exhaled. “Well, I guess that’s a good thing. Anyway, come to the bedroom once you’re done with this, okay?” Connor nodded as he started to slide the barrel back into place. “I’m just afraid we have a new unknown is all… I’m the only guy here who has fucked with guns in the past, and I don’t know how to train all of you guys with only one gun.” The turtle leaned his head on the human. “How about you just keep that to yourself to use. We don’t really need it, and I think you’d have better use for it.” He then left the small room, heading across the hallway. Connor sighed before he looked at the disassembled handgun. “The fuck am I going to do with this…” he wondered as he popped the slide back in place. Pulling it back, he popped the stray round into the chamber before sliding the magazine back into the grip. It clicked into place, and the teenager sighed. 

He then held the gun in his right hand, index finger on the trigger. His thumb rested on its little perch on the left, and his eyes fell closed. Shaking his head, Connor gently set the Glock down on the table, standing up, muttering “Fuck this.” He walked out the room, turning off the light as he did so. Cracking the door to his bedroom open, he saw Don laid out on the bed, completely relaxed. The turtle snapped his head to the right as soon as he saw the human. “Hey babe, you okay?” Connor shook his head. “Can’t think.” He slipped off his jacket, letting it drop onto the floor. Don sat up with a pensive look on his face. “Anything I can do to help?” Connor shrugged while he unbuttoned his shirt. “Letting me get some sleep would be a start. I’ve got hell to face I’m guessing.” “Sure, I can do that.” Connor got undressed the rest of the way, taking off his shoes before his jeans. Sliding into the bed, the human wrapped his arm around the turtle, sighing. 

Don smiled. “Love you, babe. Seriously.” Connor rubbed his eyes. “I love you too… question. What would you have done if you are where I am right now?” “Ooh, I don’t know. I would have been more scared of that gun, because I never touched one before… but you just disassembled it right then and there. That’s admirable, to say the least… however, I would have covered my tracks a bit more when I was fighting that guy. What even happened? I heard you yell over the communicators, but I couldn’t hear what was going on.” Connor chuckled. “Well, I was sitting on a roof and I heard glass being broken. I came down the fire escape and yelled at the guy to get out of the car… since he was breaking into it, obviously.” Don nodded. “I get that much. How about after that?” “He came out, holding a GPS unit and he had that gun in his hand, threatening to shoot me. I challenged him, saying he wouldn’t do it… right as soon as I launched it out of his hand with my right tonfa. He looked at it slide down the sidewalk, and I said something about how he would go running for it, or he would fight me like a real man. Before he could say anything, I whacked him in the head with my other tonfa, making him fall onto the ground against the car. I grabbed the gun and left, you know what happened from there.” 

Don started laughing. “You are kidding me.” Connor shook his head. “Nope, completely honest. That’s what happened.” The turtle held up his hand as he tried to catch his breath. “Well, for starters, none of our fights are that funny. The guys we fight with are usually serious and trained… and here you are, insulting some street thug with a smile.” “You know me. Any time I can get a cheap shot in, I will.” The turtle shook his head. “You also had the ability to cash the check your mouth wrote, too. What if he did shoot you? You wouldn’t be here in bed with me laughing about the whole thing.” Connor sighed. “I guess so. Anyway, I’m tired, can we get some sleep? You have training in the morning… and I’m guessing I’m going to figure out this damn gun thing.” Don smirked as he brought the human closer to himself. “Babe, I know you will, I promise. And you’re right, let’s get some sleep, huh?” Connor snuggled in closer to the turtle, snorting. “That’s what I’ve been waiting for.”

* * *

New York Police Department, Manhattan Central Booking

* * *

“Get your ass in there,” the officer said as he pushed Jamal into the facility. It looked like any other normal building, save for the variety of police cars parked out front and the squadron of officers standing outside, funneling in other people who had been arrested this night. The inside was a stark white, with people in varying states of emotion all through the lobby. The officer walked Jamal further in, past the crowd of people into a row of desks, a person at each. The officer noticed an open spot, and he was led there. A woman started asking him questions. “First name?” “Jamal.” “Last name?” “Matthews.” “Date of birth?” “03/28/1996.” “Are you currently working?” “No, I am not.” “When is the last time you worked?” “Uhh, six months ago.” “That is all I need, Officer Langley, you can do the rest.” The officer nodded as he led Jamal back into the main booking area. He pushed the young man into the room, where there was a line of people. “And in three, two, one…” was heard before a click, over and over. Jamal was next in line, and the photographer barked out an order. 

“Stand on those two footprints, facing me with no smile…. And in three, two, one…” Click. A photo of his face came up on a screen behind the camera. Officer Langley quickly led Jamal down another line, where people were being fingerprinted. That went smoothly enough, except that the fingerprinter pushed awfully hard down on his fingers as he did so. “God damn do ya gotta hurt me?” The smug man shrugged. “You tell me.” After that was done, he was led into a separate room, where he was frisk searched. Jamal’s phone and wallet were confiscated, as well as a small plastic bag filled with a white powder from his front pocket. “Fuck I forgot about that…” was all he could think about before he was led into a large holding room. People were against the back wall, desperately trying for someone to either pick them up or trying for bail when they needed it in the future. 

Jamal had no one to call or get bail from, he was entirely on his own. Stealing shit off the streets was his only hustle these days, and he had finally been caught. A sharp pang of pain shot down from his head, and he winced. “That motherfucker got me good, damn…” was all he could mutter as he sat down on a hard plastic chair. He could remember exactly what happened, but not exactly who attacked him that night. The scene started playing in his head again, busting through the window of the car, popping the door open, reaching into the glovebox for anything he could find, when someone yelled at him, a guy. He had his gun tucked into his waist, so he pulled out while he tried to get this short guy out of his way, but it didn’t work. The guy just laughed, giving him a challenge. The figure took out some kind of stick quickly, launching his Glock out of his hand.

He looked at the gun sliding down the sidewalk, but the figure kept the taunting going. Jamal started to speak. “The fu…” A sharp force hit the top of his head, and he couldn’t see. The last thing he remembered was the guy saying “Guns aren’t for big strong men, they’re for bitches.” Those last few words rattled Jamal’s brain. “They’re for bitches…” he wondered. “Well, that shit was a burner anyway. If I was caught with that shit…” Jamal started laughing quietly to himself. “That guy saved my ass…. God damn.” The guy next to him looked over. “The fuck are ya laughin’ at? Bein’ locked up?” Jamal shook his head. “Nah man, this guy beat me up and took my burner. If I had it when I was got, I woulda been a lot more fucked.” The man nodded. “He did ya a favuh.” “How long have ya been in here?” “Let me see… fo’ hours.” Jamal hung his head. “Seems like I’m gonna wait a while, then…” Before he could finish that thought, a topless drunk man singing at the top of his lungs came into the holding cell. That wait just became a lot more fun.


	18. Broken

RECOMMENDED LISTENING:  
Make The Fire Burn - Psyko Punkz  
Banging hardstyle track, a bit more on the rawstyle side. I wouldn’t hesitate to say I would hear this on a mainstage, but hey. 

Loup garou - Maître Gims, Sofiane  
A crossover with two of the French rap scene’s heavyweights. 

Top Of The World - Five Finger Death Punch  
You’ll figure out why this is here.

* * *

Thursday, February 8, 2018, 8:00 AM

* * *

The alarm on Connor’s phone started blaring, and soon enough the human turned it off, dropping the device off the bed. “Fuck off…” Don opened his eyes, hearing the profanity coming out of the space between his chest and right arm. “Don’t wanna wake up…” was all the human could mutter before he squeezed against the turtle tighter. Don snorted. “Well, we can lay here for a bit, then get up… How does that sound?” “Good…” Connor then yawned, rubbing his eyes. “Why do we have to be up so early?” The turtle smirked as he wrapped his arm around his lover. “Well, practice is at 9 like it always is, and I need to be up by then. Plus, it does give us a bit of time to lay here and relax before we really need to get up.” The human only groaned a bit, muttering out “This is exactly why I fucking love you.” “Well, if you think so… Do you have any plans for today, babe?” Connor shook his head. “Not really. But my luck, something’s going to come up and I’ll need to go on a wild goose chase for something. Mark my words.” 

Don chuckled. “I know that’s true, especially with you. I really don’t have anything I’m working on today, so I guess we can do nothing together?” Connor smiled. “Sounds like a plan I can manage. I do have a question, though.” “What is it?” The human sighed. “Do you have any specific place in the sewers I can get some target practice in with? To where no one topside will hear gunshots, and far enough from here to where it won’t raise any red flags?” The turtle paused to think for a moment. “Give me your phone, I’ll pop a couple of places in.” “Fuck’s sake, that means I have to reach for it.” Don laughed. “Well it’s not my problem that you flung it off the side of the bed, muttering ‘fuck off’ just now.” Connor fake-reached across the bed, whimpering. “I’ll have to let go of you, and I don’t want to do that.” “Well, I’m not going to sit up, so you need to.” Connor growled through his teeth as he reached down, flipping off the turtle as he grasped his phone. “Here… happy?” 

The turtle chuckled as he took the phone. “Sure I am… can you unlock it?” The human shook his head as he took the device. “Greedy bitches wanting to snoop in my phone…” Swiping his finger on the screen, it unlocked, showing the home screen. Connor grinned. “There you go, have at it.” Don tutted. “Calling me a bitch, okay…” Connor’s face turned quizzical. “Who said they wanted to be my full-time bottom bitch a while ago? I don’t remember, rhymed with ‘Ron’ I think.” The turtle laughed. “Fine. You got me. Here are the places, one in blue and one in red. Blue will have less effect on people topside, but it’s a longer walk and we will probably hear it. Red, shorter walk, but people topside will be a little privier. Want me to calculate how loud it’d be topside?” Connor shook his head. “No, it should be fine… fuck it, I’m getting up.” Don started clapping. “Good for you. You’re self-sufficient enough to realize it’s time to get out of bed! Gold star!” “Fuck you.”

“I thought that’s what I’ve been doing…” Connor chuckled as he slipped on a black pocketed T-shirt. “Sure. Whatever. Prick.” Don laughed as he tied a clean mask around his head. “I love you.” Connor looked over with a smile. “Love you too.” The human looked over in the mirror and groaned. “Damnit, I have a nice big zit on my chin. Fuck’s sake.” The turtle inhaled. “Doesn’t matter to me, babe.” “But I look like hell! You don’t have to deal with shit like this…” “Sure, but at least you’re not a turtle.” Connor chuckled as he left for the bathroom. “You win.” A moment later, as the human was brushing his teeth, Don surprised him with a hug from behind. “What do you want?” The turtle grinned. “Nothing… is a hug too much today?” “No, but come the fuck on. I’m in the middle of brushing my teeth.” “Fine, fine.” Before Don could make it out of the bathroom, Connor flung some toothpaste onto the back of his head. “That’s what you get.” 

A moment later, the two were laughing off their antics as they walked down the stairs, Connor with cleaned teeth and Don with a surprisingly minty-scented head. Raph looked up from the kitchen. “What’s the laughin’ about?” Connor shrugged. “We’re both in a good mood for once, and I may have flung toothpaste at him just now.” The red-banded turtle just started laughing. “Sounds ‘bout right.” As the two got down to the living room, Don plopped himself down on the couch, as Connor poked his head into the dojo. Leo was inside, practicing some kick moves. Noticing the human’s presence, he stopped and looked over. “Do you need anything?” Connor held a hand up as he headed to the back of the dojo, digging through a pile of old equipment. “When is the last time you’ve used this dummy?” Leo paused to think. “It has to be longer than a decade, why?” “Well, would you be opposed to seeing 9-millimeter holes in it? I need something human-shaped for practicing my aim when shooting that gun. I haven’t picked up a gun in like four years, and I’m pretty rusty.” 

Leo laughed. “I guess that could work as a target.” The human started coughing as he pulled the dummy out, a foam and fabric torso attached to a stand. It had a thick layer of dust on it, which got everywhere in the far corner. He sputtered out “Fuck, this thing is so dusty…” before he continued to cough, hitting his chest as he stopped. “God damn.” “Sorry about that, we just haven’t really used that equipment much since we were little kids, and I guess we haven’t thought about moving it since.” Connor quirked an eyebrow. “You’ve been in this lair for that long?” Leo nodded. “Pretty much. When we were that young, we had to move around the sewers often because we weren’t quite so good at being secretive. But, since Don figured out how to make this place impervious to almost any remote attack or discovery, we haven’t had to in what, twelve years?” 

Connor chuckled. “That’s crazy. And here I am. Weird, huh?” The turtle laughed. “You’re not weird.” The human quirked an eyebrow. “The human that’s in a relationship with your brother that happens to turn into the Hulk in any sort of a fight… he’s weird at all, got it. Nice to know where your head lays.” He took the dummy in his arm, carrying it out of the dojo as Leo just looked on in amazement, shaking his head as the door slid closed. Putting the foam figure outside the doors, the human sighed. As he started to walk out toward the living room, Splinter interrupted him mid-stride. “Good morning, Connor. Would you have some time to talk before practice starts?” “I do... It’s just a little concerning when you sneak up on me like that. I know you’re the ninja master and all, Sensei, but I’m not…” The rat smirked. “That’s quite alright. May I ask what you are doing with that old… what’s the word in English…” Connor chuckled. “You can call this a mannequin. That’s the type used to model clothing… and this could also be called a dummy. It sounds rude, but that’s what it is in English.” 

Splinter smiled. “Well, thank you for that. Would you mind following me to my shoji?” Connor shook his head. “Not a problem at all. I can already guess what this is about, though…” The rat smiled as they walked toward the small room. “I am glad you can recognize that. Please, sit.” Connor sat on the small pillow laid on the floor, starting to speak with a grin. “So, knocking petty thieves out and grabbing things that go boom… what’s to talk about?” Splinter snorted by accident, catching himself. “Well, the fact that there is now a firearm in our house, mostly. May I see it?” Connor shuddered. “Uh, I guess. Just don’t fault me if I’m going a little too cautious is all.” The rat waved his hand in the air. “I’m not trying to shoot it, I just would like to see what all the fuss was about is all.” The human stood up, carefully exiting the small room before he headed up the stairs. 

Opening the door to his workshop, Connor grabbed the Glock, holding it in his right hand at a 45-degree angle to his body, finger against the slide. Walking down the stairs, Mikey was about to pipe up, but noticing the handgun in the human’s hand, he quickly closed his mouth, for fear of any reaction. As Connor ducked into the hallway leading toward Splinter’s shoji, Mikey sighed in relief. The human slid the door open, and the rat looked up. Connor quickly sat down, holding a finger up to tell the rat to pause. Pushing the magazine release, the metal cartridge slid out. Putting that on the table, Connor also slid the slide back, getting the last round out of the chamber. “It’s now un-loaded. I wanted to do that in front of you just in case.” Splinter nodded. “Thank you for doing that, son.” “Not a problem. I’m just anal about gun safety, really. Anyway, here, take it, hold it or whatever. You won’t hurt anything because all of the bullets are completely out of it.” The rat nodded as Connor put the handgun into his hand. The rat quirked an eyebrow as he put it into his hand. 

“This feels… interesting to say the least.” “Yeah, it takes a bit to get used to.” Splinter muzzle-swept Connor on accident, who immediately reacted. “Holy shit, no!” The rat froze, carefully setting the gun down on the small table. “What did I do wrong?” Connor took a breath, realizing the gun was still unloaded. “Okay, jeeze. For a start, you do not point a gun, loaded or not, at anyone or anything you don’t intend on shooting. The muzzle, right here, is pretty much pointing at what you’re going to hit if you accidentally did hit the trigger with it loaded… and you pointed it directly at me when you did that.” Splinter hung his head. “I apologize, my son. So, how would you hold it in this room?” “Toward a wall or toward the floor… and do you understand what I mean by intend to shoot?” The rat shook his head. “I am afraid I do not.” “Okay. What if that gun was completely full of bullets, completely ready to be shot? You need to treat every firearm like it is loaded. That is rule number one.” 

Splinter nodded as he picked the gun back up, pointing it at a wall. “I understand now. I do have a question, though. What if I were to pull this trigger?” “Nothing would happen, you would just feel and hear it click. Try it.” The rat squeezed the trigger, feeling the resistance before the firing pin moved forward with a click. “So, that is what it feels like when you do shoot it?” “Pretty much, but the force from the bullet going out will kick back, so if it were loaded, you would need to hold it a bit more than you are now.” Splinter smiled as he set the gun back down. “Well, thank you for that. I always have wondered what it felt like to do that.” Connor chuckled. “Well, I’m glad you have. Now, if you don’t mind, I would like to reload this thing. It’s of no use when it’s all emptied out.” The rat nodded as he slowly slid the gun back toward the human, who reloaded the chamber and slid cartridge back into place. As he set it on the table, Splinter piped up again. “So, what even happened last night? Leonardo did not tell me much, I am afraid.” 

Connor laughed. “It’s more funny than serious.” Splinter looked confused before the human held up a hand. “It’s not the situation that was funny, it was just the way I went about it.” “I see. So, Leonardo told me you had taken down some… thief in the street last night?” “Yep, I did. He broke into a car, trying a GPS unit. A flick of one tonfa had this gun sliding along the sidewalk, another had him on the ground… I may have challenged him to shoot me in the meantime, and I called him a woman in various forms, though.” The rat snorted. “Well, that does sound like something you would do mid-fight. Did you get into your… fighter… mode at all?” Connor shook his head. “Nope, not at all. I wasn’t really focused on anything, no emotions outside of insulting him.” Splinter paused. “That is quite interesting. I do wonder what does turn that reaction ‘on’, if you will.” 

The human nodded. “Well, I do too. Anyway, mind if I get out of here? You have practice you need to oversee, and I have some plans for the meantime.” “Which are?” “Well, the reason I brought that dummy out in the first place is target practice. I haven’t shot a gun in over four years, so I want to see if my aim has gotten any worse since then… plus, I’ve never shot a handgun before, especially in any sort of fighting situation. I’ve shot rifles on an actual range, which is a bit different.” Splinter shrugged. “I wouldn’t know the difference, I admit. If it helps at all, I shall not say no.” Connor chuckled. “Just don’t be surprised if you hear gunshots, okay?” “I’ll try not to.” The human shook his head as he stood up, carefully picking up the gun and tucking it in his waistband before he bowed to the rat. Sliding the door open, he sighed as he walked out into the living room. 

Kuro greeted him with a desperate meow, and Connor whimpered. “Fuck, I need to feed you, don’t I?” Rushing into the kitchen, he went into autopilot, automatically heating Kuro’s formula to the right temperature. Before he knew it, he was on the couch, and the kitten was drinking from the bottle. Mikey sat down on the couch, but he noticed the black grip coming from Connor’s side. “Uhh, Connor…” The human sat the bottle down, looking over. “What’s up?” “You have your gun in your pants right now, and it’s scaring me.” “Oh shit. I do.” He took it out from his waistband, setting it on the coffee table. “There you go. My advice is to not be too scared, because I know what I’m doing around guns, and I wouldn’t shoot you… although I will be more likely to have it on me, so there’s that.” Mikey groaned. “Great…” “It’s just another tool. Plus, if I need it and don’t have it, that would be a bad day for all of us.” 

Before the orange-banded turtle could respond, however, Leo called out into the living room. “Okay guys, it’s 9 o’clock, time for practice!” Mikey groaned before Connor chuckled. “Sorry bud. Get in there, and before you know it’ll be over.” The turtle hesitantly got up off the couch, and Connor quickly stood up, tucking the Glock back into his waist, heading up the stairs. Grabbing his headphones for a sort of ear protection, he then went back down. Poking his head in the dojo soon after, he looked around. “So, Don, you know where I’m going, and Leo and Splinter, you guys too.” The three nodded before Don piped up. “Red or blue?” “Blue.” “Got it.” Connor saluted as he grabbed the dummy, heading out of the lair. His phone told him to walk for a couple of thousand feet westward before turning left. Connor looked down at the screen with wide eyes. “Christ, he wasn’t kidding about the walk.” Shaking his head, he continued to follow his phone’s directions, thinking “Where the hell is Don taking me this time, huh?”

* * *

9:26 AM  
Point Blue

* * *

The friendly female voice in Connor’s phone chirped out “You have arrived at your destination.” The human sighed as he sat the dummy down on the dirty concrete floor of the sewer tunnel. “I don’t know how those guys have gotten used to this shit…” he wondered as he backed up about forty to fifty feet. “That looks about right I think, that’s the farthest a guy would be from me in a fight… I think anyway.” Putting his headphones on over his head, he took the gun out from his waist. Looking it over, he took it in his hand, sliding the slide back. The lone round was still in the chamber, ready to be shot. “One test shot couldn’t hurt, right?” He got into the full range position, both hands gripping the handgun, legs spaced apart, before he sighed. “Why the fuck did I do that? If I’m fighting someone I’m not going to be in that stance. Dumbass.” He took the gun in his right hand instead, standing like he would on the street. Aiming past the dummy, he carefully squeezed the trigger safety down, he felt the actual trigger right next to it. Carefully pulling back, the spring pushed the firing pin forward, firing the bullet. 

BOOM. The sound echoed through the concrete structure, and Connor noticed he was still holding the trigger down. Releasing it, he gathered his thoughts. “Damn, that was loud… Where did the round even end up?” He looked past the dummy to see a hole in the concrete about a hundred feet past the dummy, right at the point he aimed at. Connor started talking to himself again. “Well, it looks like these sights are bang-on.” He lined the gun up with the dummy’s head, pulling the trigger again. The gun kicked back, and a hole appeared on the dummy’s forehead. “Holy shit, that was perfect…” He then imagined the dummy was a person falling on the ground dead and his fight mode started to slowly turn on. He couldn’t see his eyes starting to shift in color to a green, but grasping the handgun, he just started to unload rounds into the foam figure, barely pausing between firing. The dummy chuckled in the voice of the man from last night. “You think that’s going to kill me, bitch?” Connor yelled out “DIE MOTHERFUCKER!” as the last of the seventeen rounds came out of the gun’s muzzle. 

Click. Click. Click. Click. “Why the fuck isn’t it shooting anymore?” Connor looked over to his hand, seeing the gun’s slide locked back. “Damnit, empty. I wanted to save some rounds just in case…” He looked up to see a mess of foam and fabric laying around the dummy. “Shit.” The Glock was still hot from the repeated fire, so he sat it down on the ground. Walking over toward the human-shaped figure, he looked around at it. The holes in it were scattered, but roughly in the head and chest area. He started to count them. “One… five… ten… fifteen?” Looking at the concrete wall, there was three impressions in it, one from the test shot he made. “Missed twice, huh? That’s better than when I was a kid… maybe it was the fighter instinct? I would have sworn my arm was all over the place when I did that…” He shrugged as he started to pick up the larger pieces of foam off the ground. 

Walking back over to the area he was standing, a small scattering of shell casings laid next to him. He had to pick them all up to leave no trace of what happened in that tunnel, in case a worker or someone came across the so-called “Point Blue”. It was well away from any sewer entrances or even points of interest, but living with the Turtles taught Connor any missed detail was a bad thing, especially near their lair. Putting the casings into his pocket, he touched his gun’s slide to check that it was cool. It was, so he slid it in his waistband while he grabbed the dummy, putting it under his left arm. Getting his phone out of his pocket with his right, he set it to navigate back to the lair. 

Twenty minutes later, he punched in the code to the lair’s front door. The sound of a solenoid opening signaled Connor to open it. The door opened, and he carried the dummy inside before he closed the door, locking it back up. Raph noticed the movement before he started laughing. “Damn, ya went off!” “I guess I did… was it that loud in here?” “Kinda. We could definitely tell when ya did pull the trigger.” Raph chuckled before he looked at the dummy. “Your aim is fuckin’ awesome. How many times did you miss?” “Apparently twice. I’m guessing my hand-eye coordination in fighter mode is ramped up exponentially or something, because I would have missed almost every single shot normally.” Raph’s eyes widened. “Tell me not to fuck with you when you have that thing in your hand.” Connor chuckled. “I already thought you knew not to… keeping up with you in a ‘normal’ fight and all.” The turtle nodded. “True, true. Hey guys, come in here and see this!” 

Leo poked his head around the corner, his eyes widening when he saw the dummy full of holes. He went up to the two, mostly to look at where the human hit. “Well, first off, thanks for ruining practice, Connor. Everyone was too busy counting rounds to spar properly…” Connor shrugged. “Not my problem.” “Also, you hit this poor guy in every deadly spot you could… how many times did you miss?” “Twice, out of seventeen rounds.” “Were you in fight mode for that?” The human bristled a bit. “I was, yeah. Considering this is what I do when I’m amped up on adrenaline, I don’t think it’s too bad.” Leo nodded. “I would say that too. Need help putting this thing back?” “Nope, I got it. Thanks for the offer, though. I do have a problem, however.” Leo quirked an eyebrow. “Which is?” “I need more ammo… I went through the entire clip…” The blue-banded turtle laughed. “Well, I’m afraid that is something you’d need to find for yourself, sorry about that.” “Figured as much.” 

Connor headed up the stairs to get the gun out of his waistband, setting it in his workshop. Going across the hall, he poked his head into Don’s lab. “Hey babe, miss me?” Don laughed. “If you land that many rounds into a fake person, I think you’re fine enough to defend yourself… and surprisingly, I didn’t miss you. I knew where you were anyway.” Connor chuckled as he walked into the lab. “I didn’t need a lecture, just a yes or no question.” “Well then, no. Did you have fun?” “I wouldn’t call it fun. It was more like your practice, and your attitude towards it.” Don quirked an eye ridge. “But it sounded like you were having fun…” “I was in full fighter mode trying to kill an inanimate object, so there’s that. The fucking dummy was in my head talking in the same voice the guy had last night. It fucking taunted me, so that’s when I just shot the thing to pieces.” Don’s look went from amused to concerned. “You okay now?” Connor nodded. “I’m good. I just had to get into the fighting mindset by myself, but I guess it also has a negative effect in that it causes me to be paranoid in a way. It’s just one more of those things I need to figure out when I snap into that shit, really.” 

Don stood up and leaned down next to the human, giving him a tight hug. “Babe, we will figure this stuff out, I promise. I will love you no matter what happens, fighter mode or not.” The human smiled as he wrapped his arms around the turtle. “Love you too. I’ll get on top of this shit, I promise. One way or another.”

* * *

11:21 AM

* * *

Leo was in the dojo getting a second round of katas in, before his phone in his belt started to blare. “Who would be calling me?”, he wondered as he set his katana down, pulling the still-buzzing phone out of his belt. On the screen was “Restricted”, which made him a bit anxious before he answered. “Hello?” “Hey baby, did you miss me?” The turtle’s face instantly turned pale. “K-Karai?” The woman on the other side laughed. “Who else could it be? I have a sweet little offer you may not want to refuse, especially if I were you…” Leo went into defense mode. “What offer?” “You know your little human friend? I may happen to know exactly what mutagen was injected into him… and I also may be at liberty to release some details of it to him… that is, if he can make it over to my little headquarters here in Brooklyn by 5 o’clock today. If he doesn’t get his ass over here by then, consider the documents… well… gone. Alright? Love you baby! Muah!” Karai hung up the phone, leaving a stunned turtle on the other end. He just happened to mutter “Shit…” 

Leo instantly ran out of the dojo, running up the stairs to Don’s lab three at a time. Barging into the lab, Leo immediately barked out “Don! Help!” The purple-banded turtle looked up, immediately concerned, because his leader never barged into his lab like that. “Something looks like it’s horribly wrong…” “Because it is. Karai just called me wanting to meet with Connor…” Don’s eyes widened. “Really? You’ve got to be shitting me.” Leo shook his head. “Want to hear the recording?” Don nodded. “Of course.” Leo hit play, and over the course of the playback, Don’s face went from intrigued to anxious to infuriated. “She does make a good deal, but god is she annoying.” Leo nodded. “I already know. Should I call him in here?” Don rubbed his hands together. “Well, we can only put this off for so long.” Leo walked to the door of the lab, calling down to the living room. “Connor, we need you!” The human looked up from the couch, confused. “What’s up?” Leo gritted his teeth. “Like, right now. It’s urgent.” 

Connor hustled himself up the stairs, ducking into the lab. Leo was uncharacteristically freaking out, and Don was pissed off for some reason, which was highly unusual. “Well, it looks like I’m the only normal one in here… what’s even going on?” Don quickly swallowed. “Well Leo, do you want to explain, or will I?” “I will. So, just now, Karai called me.” Connor quirked an eyebrow. “The Shredder’s-surrogate-daughter and head-of-the-Foot Karai?” “Yes, her. She is pretty much blackmailing you to get over to her headquarters by 5 today.” “Why?” Don coughed. “It’s about the mutagen… and how she is willing to release details to you personally.” Connor’s eyes lit up. “Fuck… that would help me stop questioning myself constantly. How soon can I go?” Leo held up a hand. “Don’t be biting at the bit here. Remember, she is the head of a national crime organization. She has an intense security detail within a 5-block radius of their headquarters, and you will probably be searched.” 

Connor chuckled. “I can’t give a single shit about that. It’s pretty much common sense, anyway. What I do give a shit about, however, is getting documentation on that fucking mutagen. So, all I need to do is play it cool and pretend I’m her friend. I get the shit, she gets the satisfaction of seeing my face in person… because I did kill five of her soldiers, mind you. She already knows what I am capable of… and she also probably figures she can’t fuck with me. Any tips besides that?” Don nodded. “Playing the dumb teenager card might help, especially as you pull in front of their HQ. It looks like a normal house in Brooklyn, by the way. So, if you’re just waltzing in there like you own the place and you’re not scared shitless, that’ll probably help.” Connor chuckled. “Can do, for sure… So, where is this place?” Don wrote the address on a Post-it note, handing it to his lover. “Here you go.” Connor looked at it, chuckling. “President Street, Carroll Gardens, Brooklyn. Alright. Is there any identifying factor of the building I’d be able to see when I drive up?”

Don started to speak again. “It has an American flag to the right of the front door, and the front is littered with red roses… Mostly because the Foot’s color is red, of course.” “Well, then it shouldn’t be too hard to find… I think it’d be smart if I didn’t bring any weapons over there, huh?” Leo nodded. “Any semblance of a threat and you are going to have about five swords at your neck.” “Sounds like fun. Well, anything else before I go?” Don and Leo both shook their heads, but Don spoke. “Can I track you, just in case?” Connor nodded. “Sure, but remember, when I get there, I’ll probably need to turn my phone off and all that sort of thing.” “That’s fine. Just want to make sure you get there and get back out in one piece is all.” The human laughed. “Do you seriously think I’d have a problem?” Don shook his head. “I don’t think you will.” “Well, good. I’m leaving. See you guys later.” 

Connor walked out of the lab, going into his bedroom to quickly put his shoes and jacket on. Doing a quick pocket check, he nodded before he left, heading into the elevator. With the doors opening into the garage, a queasy feeling started to surmount in his stomach, before he realized the wheels were still off his car. Connor mumbled “Fuck’s sake…” before he quickly put the wheels on, tightening the lug nuts on each as much as he could with a half-inch ratchet. With the Escort now on the ground, he got into the driver’s side, opening Google Maps on his phone. Typing in the address Don gave him, it started to navigate. “It will be thirty-seven minutes to your destination, with heavy traffic as usual.” Connor groaned. “Half an hour to drive nine miles, welcome to New York, I guess.” As he backed out of his lift bay, he shook his head. This drive was going to be miserable.

Ten minutes later, Connor was turning right to get onto JFK Drive southbound. “Second gear, roll in the throttle, let’s go!” He was full-throttle, about to shift into third gear before he saw a sign that stated the speed limit was forty miles per hour. “Damnit, is there a single road in this city that’s NOT slow as fuck?!” Giving up in his head, he shifted into fifth gear, keeping his speed at forty-five. Turning his music up, he started to bob his head a bit, snorting at the lyric about “cocaine in the bathroom” in ‘Make The Fire Burn’. The drive was going decently well so far, traffic wasn’t horrible, but a NYPD cop car that seemed to be perpetually in the left lane, dodging cars as he started to catch up to the teenager in the red economy car. “Am I going to be pulled over here of all places?” wondered Connor as he checked his rear-view mirror yet again, just to make sure. 

A minute later, flashing blue lights greeted his eyes. All Connor could say was ‘Fuck’s sake’ as he signaled into the right lane, turning onto the shoulder, slowing down to a stop. A mental checklist came through his head. “Radio down, hazards… on.” He started to wind down his window, and kept his hands on the steering wheel. The police officer got out of his car, heading toward Connor’s driver’s side window. Through the open window, the officer started speaking. “I am Officer Jones of the New York Police Department… I do have a body camera on, if that is alright with you.” Connor nodded. “That’s perfectly fine.” The officer coughed. “Well, I noticed you do not have a front plate, sir. That is an infraction in the State of New York.” Connor chuckled. “Well, this car is not registered in New York… The registration on this car is still legal and valid in the state of Georgia.” The officer quirked an eyebrow. “Really? May I see your license and registration, just so I can verify?” Connor nodded again as he got his wallet out of his pocket, sliding his driver’s license out of it, handing it to the officer.

“There is my license, and…” He reached into the glovebox for his registration slip. “And here is my registration.” The officer took them with an appreciative nod, heading back into his car. Connor started laughing at the stupidity of the situation. The cop started to punch in the data from the registration and license before he realized his mistake. Every car he pulled over recently was a New York car, this is the first out-of-state car he had seen in weeks. Looking at Connor’s license plate, he closed his eyes. “David, you retard. That’s a damn Georgia plate, with a Georgia license and registration…” Looking at his laptop, it stated that the registration was indeed valid until September, and the car was registered in Connor’s name. “Let’s see… 1991 Ford Escort, red… that’s right. Huh. I fucked up this time.” The teenager noticed the cop getting back out of his car, looking like he was laughing to himself. He came up to the window and shook his head. “My mistake. I thought you were a New York car like everyone else before I realized. Sorry about that.” Connor chuckled as he took his license and registration back. “It’s alright… can I get out of here?” The cop nodded. “Yep. I’m not charging you with anything because you were doing nothing wrong. Sorry about that again.” “It’s not a problem. Have a good day, sir.” “Alright, you too.” 

The cop headed back to his car, and Connor rolled his window back up. Carefully pulling away, he merged into the rest of the traffic, and the cop still sat on the shoulder, presumably doing paperwork. Before he could turn the radio up, his head unit spit out a ringtone. “DON” came up on the screen. Connor chuckled before he answered. “Sup, babe?” “I noticed you were stopped just now for no reason… what happened?” Connor started laughing. “A cop pulled me over, thinking I was a New York car. Thought my front plate was just conveniently gone… but you don’t need one in Georgia.” Don chuckled. “That was it?” “Yeah, pretty much. He admitted it was his mistake, and we’re all good. No warning, no ticket, nothing. Now, as you can tell, I’m back at the slow flow of traffic.” “Mmhm. Well, I’m hanging up now. Love you, babe.” “Love you too.” The hung-up tone came through the radio before music continued playback. 

As Connor got onto the exit for the Brooklyn Bridge, his unease continued. Here he was, driving to meet the head of a major crime organization… yet he could defend himself against these types. How weird.

* * *

12:39 PM

* * *

Rolling his window down, Connor was driving southwest through Brooklyn. Turning his radio up, he was making sure people outside could hear it. His car was vibrating from the amount of bass in the song, the cause of his mirrors moving in time with the music. Signaling right to get onto President Street, he slowed down to look for the exact house. It was ahead, so he parked right in front of it, keeping the music at a very loud volume. Sofiane’s verse in ‘Loup garou’ was still playing, so he listened until Maître Gims rapped out the refrain. 

 

“Mon p'tit loup, mon p'tit loup, reste pas là, ça devient chelou  
Mon p'tit loup, mon p'tit loup, éloigne-toi, y'a un loup-garou  
Mon p'tit loup, mon p'tit loup, reste pas là, ça devient chelou”

Rolling his window up, Connor could only agree with what the rapper said. “He’s right… I shouldn’t really be going in there, but I have to.” Turning the ignition off, he opened his door, locking it before he closed it, the sound of the window rattling in its tracks helping signal his walk to the front door. His throat was in his stomach as he knocked twice on the door. It immediately opened, and two Foot guards stared the teenager in the face. “We don’t want any solicitors, sorry.” Connor chuckled. “I’m afraid you are mistaken. I am here to see a certain Miss Karai, unless I’m at the wrong Foot headquarters…” The taller guard harrumphed before he started to talk over his walkie-talkie. “Miss, a kid is here to see you personally? Drives a red shitbox?” A woman’s voice came over the small speaker as Connor shot him a glare about the car comment. “Yes, I did request his presence. Please send him to my office at once.” 

The shorter guard snorted as the two took the teenager in by the arms, leading him to a metal detector. Connor walked through it as they both gripped their swords, but it didn’t signal anything. The taller guard barked out “Is your phone off?” Connor shook his head. “Not right now, but it will be in a second.” He pulled the black device out of his pocket, turning it off in the guard’s view. “It is now. Any more hoops?” “Watch off, in this basket with your phone. We need to still search you.” Connor chuckled as he put his watch and phone in a plastic basket TSA-style, and the shorter guard ran his hands up and down the teenager’s body, quirking an eyebrow when he got to Connor’s right pocket. “What is in there?” Connor held up a hand while he pulled a hair tie out of his pocket. “A hair tie... Can I keep it on me, or will it be confiscated too?” The shorter guard laughed. “No, that’s fine. Chris, you stay here… I got this.” The taller guard shrugged as he walked back toward the front door. 

The shorter guard led Connor back further up a flight of stairs. “Sorry about that, he’s an asshole.” Connor held his hands up. “It’s fine, it’s your job and all.” The guard nodded while he led Connor past a front desk, up two flights of stairs. He ducked left into a short hallway, knocking on a door labeled ‘1’. Opening it slowly, the guard poked his head inside. “Miss, I have your guest.” A faint voice from inside said “Please let him in. Thank you, Greg.” “My pleasure, Miss.” Greg gestured for Connor go to in before he left, going back out of the small hallway. Walking in the office, he was struck with something that looked awfully different. The headquarters so far had been whitewashed and cold, but inside this office, it looked an awful lot like Splinter’s shoji, warm and inviting. It also had the requisite Japanese paintings and even a tatami mat in the corner. 

Karai was at her desk, holding out her hand. Connor took it and gave her a handshake before he sat down. The woman started speaking first. “Thank you for taking the time to come in… How was the drive?” Connor chuckled. “Miserable. Got pulled over on the way, retarded cop thought my car was registered in New York.” Karai chuckled. “That’s not great… You must be aware of who I am, considering you do live with the Turtles now.” Connor nodded. “Karai, head of a multinational crime organization and adopted daughter of an affectionately-nicknamed Shredder.” “That is correct. Before we get started, would you like anything? A snack, some water?” “Some water would be great, thank you.” Karai pressed a button on her desk, calling someone. “Yes, Miss?” “Can you bring two bottles of water up?” “Certainly, Miss.” She sat back, and looked up and down the teenager’s body. 

“You’re actually pretty cute, I must admit. The picture we brought up of you wasn’t the best.” Connor laughed as he ran his fingers through his hair. “Thank you, but I’m already taken.” Karai quirked an eyebrow. “Don’t tell me it’s one of the Turtles.” “It might be… Is that coming from experience on your part?” The woman nodded. “I was madly in love with Leonardo, that was, before he started dating that damn rabbit.” Before Connor could speak, however, a knock on the door made them both look over. A petite woman walked in. “Miss, I have your water.” “Set one down here, and give one to my guest, please.” The woman did so before she bowed, leaving the office. Connor looked confused. “The crime boss wants her workers to respond to her in the Japanese fashion, huh? That’s quite interesting.” Karai shrugged. “That is one thing I took from living there. I appreciate the gesture, and that’s about it…” Connor looked at his water bottle. The lid was still sealed, so it hadn’t been spiked with anything. As he took a sip, Karai started to speak again.

“I know why you are here, you want information on that mutagen that we accidentally injected into you… but first, I would like some context on exactly what happened that day.” Connor choked on his water, coughing. “Do you really want to hear it?” Karai nodded before the teenager coughed again. “Fine. Did you see the video of your guys chasing me?” She nodded again. “You are a top-tier driver, I must admit. I thought my driver that day would have caught up to you.” Connor nodded. “Well, I knew immediately his brakes would start overheating quickly… a 2-ton van isn’t the best pursuit vehicle, by any stretch. I led him onto that tight twisty road because he was already out-braking himself by that point. I make a tight right-handed corner, he doesn’t. And look, there he goes, clipping the grass, rolling over four times. Whee!” Karai took a deep breath. “So, after that, what went on?” “I went over to the van. The four guys in the back were hurt badly. The driver was knocked out, and the female in the passenger’s seat lunged at me, needle in hand. Now, we know that’s that fuckin’ mutagen.” 

Connor paused before he continued to speak. “She launched it into my shoulder. My whole body started to burn, my head turned to mush. My main goal then was to take her out. So, I threw her against the side of the van, and grabbed her left arm. I thought I wasn’t holding it too hard, but her scream told me otherwise… She fell onto the ground, and I took her sword and slit her throat open, as she deserved.” Karai quirked an eyebrow. “How did you know where to cut?” Connor chuckled. “The Internet is a dark place, that’s all I’m saying for that.” Karai nodded. “Thank you… I just wanted to know what happened in that whole encounter.” Connor smiled. “I do have one concern, though. You made this mutagen, you know exactly what it did to me.” Karai nodded. “That is true, what are you asking?” Connor paused, tapping his fingers on the chair. “I want every single last bit of information on that mutagen. From the start of its manufacture all the way to testing. Every single last page. Got that?” Karai chuckled. “And why should I give you that?” Connor deepened his voice, making it a rumble. “Because you injected that bullshit mutagen into me. You aren’t affected by it, why should you care? I’m the one who has had his life changed due to that shit… Also, why was one of your guys even near Atlanta, anyway? I thought you guys were mostly based in New York… Unless you tried to expand, that is.” 

Karai froze while Connor continued to speak in the husky tone. “So, I want that information, no ifs, ands, or buts. Also, I would like the information you have on me destroyed. I want you to pretend I never existed. No mutagen, no me, no chase. Fucking nothing. Treat me like some average person from the street from now on, at least in terms of this organization… I won’t fuck with any of your guys or anything, that is, if they don’t fuck with me. A single soldier lays a finger on me, all bets are off.” Karai gulped and nodded. She feared the tone Connor put on at this point, because she knew he probably could go into fighter mode at any moment, but the teenager couldn’t be any calmer. She punched in a code into the intercom, calling someone. “Can you bring me every page of information on mutagen 4A7?” “Miss?” “You heard me. Every page.” “Yes, Miss… but it’s going to take ten minutes to put it all together. Is it urgent?” Connor nodded, and Karai spoke. “Yes, it is. Is there any way you can make that quicker?” “No, Miss.” Connor chuckled. “I can wait, that’s fine.” Karai grimaced. “Just get it up here, damnit!” 

Connor grinned. “Thank you… also, I do have a favor you could possibly help me out with.” Karai looked confused. “Favor?” “Since you are this head of a crime organization, I think you know somewhere I can get ammunition and firearm related things, preferably at no cost to myself. You do need to reimburse me for all of the bullshit you have caused me so far and into the future, of course.” The woman paused for a moment before she started to speak, sounding defeated. “I do know of somewhere, and I can call ahead for you. Are you okay with walking a couple of blocks?” Connor nodded. “Of course.” She picked up her desk phone, dialing a number. “Yes, yes. I need you to give access to someone... No, this is all out of my pocket… I’ll give him one right away. This is indefinite, any time he walks in, completely free. I'm serious. Yes I know I don't do this... Goodbye.” She hung up, and Karai went into her desk’s drawer, pulling out a yellow star-shaped piece of paperboard. 

“If you walk two blocks toward Hicks Street, it’s the house all the way on the corner. It has a big wooden door… show him this, and he’ll let you in and get whatever you want, whenever.” Connor’s eyes widened. “Now, I didn’t expect that, thank you.” He took the yellow star and put it in his pocket. Karai hung her head. “And I apologize for any way we may have changed you… We were expanding into Atlanta, but it was on order from Japan, not me personally… So, my guys chased you without my knowledge, and here we are. I’ve reprimanded anyone involved, and the least I can do for you is give you some ammo and some other stuff. By the way, why would you need this?” The teenager chuckled. “I may have taken a guy on the street down, and I also may have taken his Glock in the process.” The woman nodded. “That makes sense now. I just had to ask.” “Not a problem.” 

Another knock on the door sounded, and yet another petite woman came in, this time with what must have been a three-inch binder full of paper. “Miss, this is all of the information you requested.” Karai waved over toward Connor. “Give it to him.” The woman nodded, pretty much hurling the heavy book into his arms. Karai said “Thank you”, and again, the woman left with a bow. Connor’s eyes were wide at this point. “Holy shit…” Karai chuckled. “You wanted every page, so there you go. Anything else I can personally do for you?” Connor shook his head. “I got what I wanted, you got what you wanted, that’s that. Do I need to be escorted out?” Karai shook her head. “My guys won’t do anything to you. They saw you come in, they’ll see you going out.” Connor stood up with a smile. “Thank you for this, Karai.” Before he left the office though, he turned around. “Remember what I said though… don’t fuck with me, I don’t fuck with you.” Leaving the office, he closed the door gently, to leave a subtle reminder in the woman’s head that he wasn’t to be messed with.

Walking down the hallway and the flights of stairs, the only thing in Connor’s head at that moment was getting out of this labyrinth of a headquarters. He surmised there was other stuff going on underground at this facility, but soon enough, he was back at the metal detector, running back through. Greg handed him his phone and watch back, and Connor gave him the man-nod before he walked out, opening his car haphazardly with the key. He heaved the binder onto the passenger’s seat before he locked his door, closing it again. Now, he had to walk to… wherever Karai was sending him. It was only a matter of time before he got to the end of the street, and he noticed the house she mentioned on the left. Walking up to the porch, he knocked twice on the door, and it opened in roughly the same time as the guards did back at the headquarters. “Whaddya want?” Connor pulled the yellow star out of his pocket, holding it between his fingers. The burly man at the door mumbled “Oh” as he let Connor in. Inside, it looked like… a normal house. 

“Ya look confused. The shit’s upstairs.” Connor snorted. “I figured. Wouldn’t be walking into a normal house now, would I?” The man shrugged. “So, Karai called saying ya were coming over… whaddya need?” “Let’s see... I need 9-mil ammo in both full-jacket and hollow-point, some magazines, and possibly a couple of other things, depending on what you have, of course.” The man laughed. “That it?” Connor shrugged. “I guess so. This is what happens when you pick up a Glock off a guy on the street and you happen to not have anything else to go with it.” The man gestured for Connor to come up the stairs, so he did. Turning right out of the stairwell, the house turned less from a house to a full-blown armory. The man started speaking. “First off, ammo. 9-mil, right?” “Correct.” He opened a cabinet, grabbing some small boxes out of it. “Let’s see… I’ve got 100 hollow-points and 500 regular, will that be enough?” Connor laughed. “That would be more than enough.” “Good, because we’re not going to get a shipment worth a shit in for another three weeks. Damn Libyans not getting us the shit on time…” He sat the boxes of ammo down on a table, letting Connor gaze at it. “American Eagle… and Federal HST 147 grain? You weren’t kidding.” The man chuckled. “I’m an arms dealer. Ya know I gotta keep the good shit on hand.” 

“So, you wanted mags? For a Glock, right?” “Correct.” “How many do ya want? I’ve got everything from 10 rounds to 33.” “Let me get 3 17s and two 33s.” The man dug around in another cabinet, pulling out five more small boxes. “Done. What else did ya want, ‘cause I’ve still got quite the inventory.” “Uh, do you have a threaded barrel for a Glock 17, and a suppressor to go with it?” “Mmhm… I see now you’re getting a little more illegal, I like it.” Connor shrugged. “I thought I could maybe use that setup, but hey.” The man dropped the two items, a black cylinder and a steel barrel on the table. “Let me see anything else I’ve got for Glocks… I don’t usually have stuff for ‘em. Ya want a laser/light combo unit to put on there?” “Why not?” The man chuckled. “Karai’s doin’ ya a favor, ain’t she? Not often she calls me telling someone she’s paying for their shopping spree.” Connor gritted his teeth. “She fucked my life up permanently past this point, so this is just payback.” “Gotcha... Oh, ya need a mag loader.” He opened a drawer, putting that on the table as well. “Looks like with this ye’re gonna be all set up.” Connor gestured at the table. “Got something I can put this all in?” 

The man paused to think. “Uh, let’s see. I gotta couple o’ backpacks, all tactical-like. Maybe one o’ those would work?” “Sure. Do they have room for a laptop and other random shit?” “I’ll bring a couple out and you can look.” “Thank you. What’s your name, by the way?” “Call me X.” “Well, X, thanks for helping me out with this shit.” “You’re welcome, I guess?” He dug around in the back somewhere, coming out with two bags, identical but in different colors, one in black, and one in olive drab. Connor took the black one, looking through the compartments and pockets. “This’ll work. I’ll take the black one.” “Got it. Need anything else?” Connor laughed. “Hell no. This’ll probably cover me for like three years.” He started packing the ammo and gun parts into the bag, zipping it up. “Anyway, I’m out of here.” X waved while he packed everything away. Heading out of the house, Connor immediately froze. “Fuck, I’m carrying highly illegal products on me like it’s nothing… well. Hope I don’t get caught, then.” 

He walked nonchalantly to his car, opening the rear hatch with his key, hearing the latch pop open. He put the bag under the carpet, nestled inside the spare tire, next to the bottles of wine. Putting the cover back in place, he closed the hatch, hearing the latch click closed as he did so. Into the driver’s seat, that binder was enticing. Putting it into his lap, Connor opened the cover. “MUTAGEN 4A7 NOTES TOP SECRET” was the title. Flipping through the first few chapters, he got to the one that was titled “Effects”. The first page was littered with uppercase red text. A few keywords, however, really stuck out, ‘at the flip of a switch’, and ‘unpredictable’ was mentioned multiple times in this first page alone. Turning the page, a wet splotch appeared on the paper. Connor yelled out “I’M A FUCKING FREAK!” before he sat the binder back down, turning on the ignition to his car. Turning his phone back on, it took a minute for it to boot up. Loading up the directions back to the lair, he couldn’t help tears from streaming down his cheeks. 

He could barely keep the tears from coming out of his eyes as he started to set off. “Well, at least traffic isn’t as terrible as it was earlier…” was all he could think about before turned right onto Hicks Street. His phone was ringing again, however, with Leo calling him this time. The human answered in a complete monotone. “Hello?” Leo laughed. “Karai just called me again, it sounded like she was distraught… She was apologizing about how she screwed you up and she made sure to let me know she deleted everything she had on you… what did you do in there?” “Well, I scared the absolute shit out of her for a start… Got every bit of information I could hold on that mutagen, and a couple of other things. I’ll lay it out when I get to the lair, okay?” “Deal. When are you going to be back?” “Phone says 20 minutes.” “Alright, see you then, Connor.” “See ya.” When the turtle hung up, Connor sighed. 

A moment later, he turned right to get onto the 278. Going up the on-ramp, he noticed the stop signs at the top. “Stop signs on an on-ramp? Fuck off…” He stopped, but there was no traffic on the parkway at the time, so he grinned. Flooring the throttle, he dropped his foot entirely off the clutch pedal, making the front tires spin. He held the wheelspin all the way through first gear, before an aggressive shift into second gear made them chirp. This wasn’t the time for genteel driving in the slightest. He passed a lone taxicab on its left as he shifted into third gear, accelerating up to fifty-five miles per hour. The most he wanted to speed was ten over, because he didn’t want to be pulled over again, especially to be given a ticket. The speed wasn’t the only thing he was focusing on, however. Manhattan in all its glamour was on his left, and he couldn’t help but look. The skyline of the city that never sleeps was much different than the one he was accustomed to, a skyline of light poles and dense forest. 

Even the fact that he was in the middle of New York City was utterly unbelievable to the teenager. His heart was still set northeast of Atlanta, even if his head was already acclimated to New York’s hustle and bustle… but not its low speed limits. Back home, drivers on the highway would be going eighty-five miles per hour, weaving between lanes and generally getting where they need to go without any regard for road rules. But, he was starting to appreciate the non-caring nature of people in the Big Apple. A big complaint he had living in the South was that people cared too much about business that wasn’t theirs. He didn’t have that problem living in New York, which he appreciated. However, to the teenager, he wasn’t thinking about that, now that he was blasting metal through the stereo to dampen any thoughts he might have had. 

However, ‘Top Of The World’ came on, and the lyrics seemed to fit the moment. “Living the dream, wake me up, wake me up when it’s over!... My life’s a comedy, well isn’t this fun!” He caught the edge of that last line and beat his hand on the steering wheel. Turning the radio up more, the amplifier inside the head unit was almost about to distort at the sheer volume he demanded. The floorpan of his car was vibrating at this point, and he was starting to tune the music out internally, just loud noise coming out of the speakers at this point. And that is what he needed right about now, a shock therapy of sorts. To blast all emotions out of his head, turn him into a peaceful drone that wasn’t on the verge of a total mental breakdown.

* * *

1:41 PM

* * *

Don looked over, noticing Connor was opening the door to his lab. He smiled at the sight of the human. “Hey babe, how did it go?” The cheeriness was put to a halt as the turtle saw Connor’s face. He looked utterly shell-shocked, like all emotion was just deleted from his brain. Connor just sat the heavy binder down on the desk, turning around and leaving the lab as suddenly as he entered. Don ran out of the lab, but the doors on the elevator were closing by that point. Looking back at his security computer, the human got back in his car, exiting the garage. As Connor dropped the clutch, the sound of wheelspin reverberated through the lair, much like it had two days ago. The purple-banded turtle was borderline offended at the reaction he got, but looking at the binder that was now on his desk, it all started to make sense. “How much of this did he read?” 

Flipping through the chapters, one set of pages seemed to be off in height. Don put his eyes level to the stack of paper, noticing it was off in the ‘Effects’ chapter. Turning to it, the realization dawned on him. “Shit… he read exactly what happened to him.” Looking back at his computer, he opened his tracking program. Going under Connor’s name… it failed to get a location, with an error message displayed. “Could not retrieve location, device is off or not responding to requests. Please try again later.” Don sighed again. “And he turned his phone off… so I can’t track that, and his car isn’t new enough for me to get any information from… God damnit.” Turning on his phone’s screen, he quickly texted Leo. “Come up here… I have a problem.” Thirty seconds later, Leo was in the lab, about to sit down. “So, what’s up?” Don gritted his teeth. “It should really be ‘what’s down’, but whatever. Connor dropped this thing on my desk and just left… You probably heard him peel out of the garage.” Leo nodded. “I thought he was going to have some fun… he sounded perfectly fine on the phone earlier.” 

Don hung his head. “He was probably hiding any emotion from his voice as he was talking to you, I’m afraid.” Leo raised an eye ridge. “How do you know?” “Well, for starters, on this page of this massive binder, tear drops must have fallen on the page… and he looked like a robot when he walked in here.” Leo’s eyes widened. “Can’t you track him? His phone is on.” Don shook his head. “You are forgetting one important factor here. Connor is fucking smart, especially when it comes to privacy. If he’s going somewhere he doesn’t want us to know about, he will make sure he isn’t tracked in any form… so even in this blank state, he turned his phone off even before he went out of the garage just now. Hell, he figured out my secret about those custom-designed tonfa right from the get-go. He’s been planning… something for me, but I have zero idea of what it is or how big or small it is…”

Leo chuckled. “I’m not going to tell you, either… but yeah. He is highly secretive, and he does cover his tracks well. So, what’s the plan here?” Don shrugged. “Play the waiting game for now. See if he contacts me first, see if I can grab any snippet of information I can… that is, if he gives me anything to bite at.” Leo chuckled. “I bet he will, although it’s probably going to be cryptic in some way. Remember he did this last time, leaving you a love note in Chinese.” Don sighed. “That is true. Well, whatever he does, it’s going to give me an insight to… something.” Leo nodded as he stood up. “That’s a guarantee. I’m getting out of here. You got this, Don.” Don hung his head. “I hope I do, at least…” 

Eighteen minutes later, Don’s phone dinged. Looking at it, his eyes widened, because Connor texted him. Opening the text, his face dropped again. It was all in Chinese. 

“我觉得不舒服。。。 我爱你。 马上回来。” 

Opening a translator, he let it read the characters before it spat out some English. “I feel uncomfortable… I love you. Be back soon.” Don looked at the text. The human had thought of him, and honestly explained his thoughts, it just happened to be in another language. The location tracker on his computer blipped a location for the human, so Don looked at it. Zooming in, it found Connor, or at least his phone, to be on the same rooftop that he was at with that breakfast meetup. Determined, Don stood up, heading into the elevator. The roof was a five-minute walk, so it wasn’t that far from the lair. Walking out of his lab and into the elevator, the turtle started to worry. It was illogical, of course, because even he knew Connor was too smart to get himself into trouble, even if it looked like he might. His lover was excellent at reading people subconsciously, so even if he did get into shady actions, there would be nothing to come out of it. 

However, there was another priority, one more important for Don to think about. Looking back at his phone, the dot for Connor’s location remained on the rooftop. “Either he is waiting there for me… or this is just some sort of bait,” Don surmised. Turning his human generator on, he walked out of the garage, heading into the alley. Climbing a ladder, he walked along the rooftops, launching himself up a couple of stories before his phone gave up on navigating. “Babe? You here?” As he walked forward, there was no response, but what seemed like heavy metal seemed to be playing in the distance. Carefully moving himself closer to the sound, he peered over an AC unit. Not seeing the human, he walked over to the noise. “Well, he’s not here… but his phone is?” Squatting down, there was a note next to the phone, which was still playing a single song on repeat. The lyrics sounded odd to the turtle, and looking at the phone, the album cover was some sort of skeleton, wielding two revolvers with fury in his eyes.

The song restarted, and Don listened to the lyrics, feeling more and more regret as the chorus was blared out of the phone’s small speaker. Keeping it together, he read the sloppy note. “Hey babe, I figured you would find my phone soon enough. I’m… somewhere by now. If I don’t make it back to the lair by 3, you can start the city-wide search for me, but I highly doubt that is necessary. I just needed to get out of the lair, didn’t want to start any bullshit drama. I know you understand. Love you.” Don muttered “Love you too, babe” as he stood up, pausing the song. Looking at the note again, the turtle sighed. “At least he knows how to cool himself out, I’ll give him that.” Sitting down against the air conditioner, Don smiled. At least this was an excuse to get out of the lair for a while. 

Tap. Tap. Tap. The heavy concrete door to the secret room popped open, and Connor snuck in, making sure the latch snapped closed behind him. It did, so he flicked the small room’s lights on. It took a second for the lights to fully kick on, but the faint buzzing from overhead signaled that it was fully lit up. The electrical setup in this room wasn’t optimal, but the teenager commended it, considering Raph was the only person to wire the lights in. The wires ran across the ceiling, held in place with cable tie-downs to the wall, where they were spliced into the pre-existing 120V wiring with some wire nuts. It wasn’t a full solder-and-heat-shrink job like Connor was used to performing, but it worked… and that method is considered safe by any building code in the United States for low-voltage applications, so there really wasn’t a reason to worry. The yellow wire nuts did stick out against the bare concrete wall, but it was more function over form. 

The rest of the room was a bit awkward, to say the least. Raph didn’t know exactly how it came about, but the general chromed-wood appearance of the bar area pointed it to have been made between the 1920s and 1930s, which correlated with the Prohibition during that time. This room was most likely used as a small speakeasy back in the day, at least that’s what the human figured. However, this room didn’t look that much like a speakeasy almost ninety years later. There was no sort of ‘back room’, at least in physicality. The state had probably demolished it by then, filling in the empty space after. So, the room now was utilitarian in function, somber in many ways. The only bits of furniture in it now was a couch and a coffee table, and the only electronic device a cheap 24-inch television, which didn’t even seem to be usable. Nothing was connected to it except a power cable.

Unfazed, Connor sat down on the couch, setting his bag to the side. Unzipping it, he carefully took everything out of it, setting it all on the coffee table. Cracking his knuckles, he started to load one of the 33-round magazines. Connor took a 9-millimeter round in his hand, looking at it before he slid it in. Talking to himself, he “I don’t know what I would have done without all of this, honestly. Should I thank Karai?... Nah, she pretty much deserved to compensate me for the shit she’s done so far…” He looked over to the bar Raph had set up, but he shook his head. “Need to keep my head straight… and I need to drive back, so fuck that.” Pressing down on the magazine loader wasn’t doing anything at this point, signaling the black metal cartridge was full. Putting it in his new bag, he took another magazine, using the small plastic device in his left hand to push down on the cartridge, using his right hand to feed individual rounds into the black cartridge. 

After about half an hour, he was done with loading all five magazines with different rounds, normal and hollow-point. Closing all the ammo boxes, he set them in his bag before he slid the magazines into it. “Well, that’s done… I don’t really have anything else to do, so I should probably get out of here.” Zipping up the bag’s main compartment, Connor stood up, slinging it around his shoulder. Turning off the buzzing incandescent lights, he flipped the latch to the heavy concrete door open, barely squeezing out as he pushed it out. Heaving it closed, the latch snapped in place from the other side, and he sighed in relief. Walking carefully through the sewer tunnels, the orange work lights dotted throughout lit up the pathways going in and out, left and right. Only the Turtles really knew where all those tunnels ended, because they grew up in these sewers. Connor didn’t, and today wasn’t the day to explore and get lost. 

Reaching the manhole he needed to get out at, Connor carefully climbed the rudimentary ladder, going rung by rung before he could reach the top. Lifting the cover slightly, he checked to make sure no one was watching before he slid it to the side, fully climbing out. Crouching down, he slid the heavy iron cover back in place, standing up. One thing about being underground is that the ‘normal’ ground felt like you were two stories higher. Most normal people just assumed the ground was as low as you could go, which is a fair assumption, but when you had to climb twenty feet of ladder to get to the ‘bottom’, that assumption tended to change. While Connor pondered that, he walked down the alley, quickly heading north toward 57th Street, where he parked his car again. Don didn’t have any cameras or sensors that far north, and it was enough of a major thoroughfare that someone parking and leaving for an hour or so wasn’t worthy of attention.

Walking along the sidewalk, Connor spotted his Escort in the distance, facing west. Crossing the street, it was only a matter of time before he was about to get in his car, freezing when he saw a piece of paper underneath his driver’s side windshield wiper. “Ugh, I hope it’s not some parking ticket…” Taking it off and reading it, he chuckled. Scribbled on it was “GO BACK HOME 2 FUCKN GEORGIA REDNECK!!!!!” Crumpling it in his hand, he threw it in his passenger’s seat, getting and closing his door. “Well, that’s the first time I’ve heard that… Only if he knew I could whoop his ass…” Laughing to himself, he turned his key in the ignition, starting the engine. With the metal lump vibrating to life, his next destination was back to the lair.

* * *

2:53 PM

* * *

The door to Don’s lab opened again, but this time it wasn’t Leo. The turtle looked over to see Connor heading toward him. The human dropped his bag on the floor, borderline attacking Don with a hug. “I-I really hope I didn’t scare you…” Don chuckled. “It’s alright. When you walked in here, you looked like you were broken… and I don’t really like seeing you like that. So, whatever you were doing just now I’m fine with, as long as it makes you calm down like this.” Connor simply squeezed his lover tighter after he said that. “You are right. I was like… completely shattered. You probably saw how I opened that binder and just started tearing up.” The turtle nodded. “I don’t fault you for that. I guess it’s just a major unknown is now a known, and I guess you really didn’t want to know in that much detail.” “You know I want a normal life, or as close to it as I can get. I know that the situation I’m in now is pretty much there, but I know you understand. I couldn’t even read a full page of whatever was in that binder, because it was like a gorilla did a dead blow to the back of my skull…”

Don chuckled. “I guess so, but there’s something else I’m noticing. You’re awfully warm, and I love it.” Connor leaned back and grinned. “Well, I still have my jacket on, so that will help.” The turtle shook his head as he took his arms from around Connor’s back, instead sliding them in his jacket. “That’s much better.” Connor sighed. “Well, while you warm your arms up, would you mind if I at least tried to start on my story, because it’s a long one.” “Should I call Leo in here? He’s been kind of following the actions you’ve made along with me.” Connor groaned. “Fuck no. I’ve got a lot to explain before it even gets to his ears… cause he’s going to blab to Splinter about all the shit I’ve done on my own. I may have talked to arms dealers and other shady individuals today, so there’s that to start. And before you chastise me, there is a reason for everything I’ve done. I’ve got a surprise.”

 

Connor got up off the turtle, grabbing the bag and setting it in Don’s lap. “This is surprise number one.” Don quirked an eyebrow before he unzipped the main compartment, looking into it with the light overhead. Pulling out the first thing he felt, his eyes widened. “That’s… a high-capacity magazine, right?” Connor nodded. “That’s 33 rounds, and I got two of those.” “Two?” “Keep going.” The turtle found the other 33-round magazine, and then eventually the 3 17s. “That’s it, right?” Connor shook his head. “Nope.” “You have to be kidding me. You’ve magically obtained more than five different magazines.” “Not kidding.” Don shook his head before he dug around some more, grasping the threaded barrel. “What’s this?” “Threaded barrel. Used for something else I got.” 

Don chuckled. “My lab is turning into an armory already. Please tell me that’s it.” Connor laughed. “I’ve already told you I’ve got quite the spread of stuff.” Don held his hand up before he dumped the bag on the table. “There, that’s all of it… and that’s a lot of ammo, babe.” Connor just started laughing. “I know, I told the guy I didn’t need that much, but he pretty much just cleared out his shelf.” “How much did you get?!” “Uh, I think 100 rounds of hollow-point and 500 rounds of regular full-jacket, both in 9-millimeter Luger, of course. Also, notice the brands. He gave me the top-shelf shit.” Don shrugged. “I wouldn’t have known that. Anyway, what was that threaded barrel for?” “Do you see that black cylinder? Screw it on.” Don did so, and it took a second for it to click. “Oh… Oh. Shit. This is a suppressor.” “Ding ding ding, we have a winner. Also, he gave me a little laser attachment, which would help.” 

Don held his hand up. “Pause. Who’s this ‘he’?” Connor smiled. “I already told you this was a long story, so do you want me to get into it?” Don nodded. “Sure.” The human sat down before he started to speak. “Turn the clocks back to when I was in Brooklyn, driving down there. I had French rap absolutely blasting for two reasons. One, it was fun, and second, when I pulled up, it would look like I didn’t give a shit. Get out of the car, knock on the door. The two guards at the door were first confused as to why I would be there, but I had to say something like ‘is this the right Foot headquarters’ for them to finally get it. The taller guard scoffed and called Karai over the walkie-talkie, of course making a comment about my car in the process.” Don laughed before Connor continued. “Got searched and run through a metal detector, pretty much common sense. The non-asshole guard walked with me to Karai’s office. God that place is weird, let me tell you.” 

The turtle quirked an eye ridge. “Weird?” “The whole headquarters is all white and all of the trim is aluminum, looking like the inside of an Apple store… but her office looks like Splinter’s shoji, with the random sticks of incense and paintings and everything… Anyway, that wasn’t the point. I go in, we talk a bit… mostly about how she’s still in love with Leo. She called Usagi ‘that damn rabbit’. She called me cute, so there’s that.” Don chuckled. “Did you say anything about me?” Connor shook his head. “Nope. I just said I may have been in a relationship with one of you guys, leaving it up to her imagination. She called to get us some water, and even her assistants respond to her like she’s some Yakuza boss or something, bowing before they leave and everything… After that, we started to get down to business. She asked me what happened the day of the chase, I shortened it a bit. Then it got into the business of the mutagen. I asked for every bit of information she had on it, but she laughed, saying ‘why would I give you that?’” Connor dropped his voice down the same way he did with Karai, making it huskier. “I dropped my voice like this, telling her how I was the one affected by the shit, not her. She started to get scared, because maybe she read what the mutagen did before I got there, fearing a full-on fighter mode attack.”

Don’s eyes were wide-open at this point. “Damn, babe. Karai is a frightening figure, and you managed to get her to listen… and give in to your demands?” “Not just that. I requested everything. Every single page… but that’s not it. I demanded she delete every bit of information she had on me, the chase, the records she had, everything. She was borderline trembling at this point, so I eased up a bit. She called for that binder, and I asked for one last thing. Where to get ammo and other gun-related stuff. She called someone and gave me….” He took his wallet out of his pocket, pulling the yellow star out. “This.” Connor held it out, and Don took it with a confused look. “A… yellow paperboard star. What was this for?” The human smirked. “You’ll see why in a second. She like… got all apologetic. I’m guessing it finally hit her that I was actually… like affected by that mutagen. It wasn’t some expendable soldier, it was me. I could fuck up her entire organization in one easy sweep if I wanted to. The gravity of that situation seemed like it hit her in the head.”

The turtle sighed and shook his head. “Well, you are the only person of us to even be in their headquarters, so I guess that doesn’t help her situation much.” Connor nodded. “Yep. So, she told me to go to this house at the end of the street she was on. Since we’re pretty much done with our little meeting, I leave her headquarters. Remember, this is in the middle of Brooklyn, right? All the buildings are identical, two or three stories with a stoop. But, I was looking for the house on the end of the block. I walk up, knock on the door, and this Puerto Rican dude opens it. He’s all jacked, like six foot three. I show him that little star, he lets me in. The bottom floor of this house is normal, like he was living there. But upstairs, it was a full-on armory. Guns all along the walls, cabinets full of ammo, you get the picture.” Don looked confused. “So, Karai gave you a little star to get into her arms guy’s place? What about money?” Connor laughed. “Good question. Guess how much all of this costed me.” “Five hundred bucks?” “Nope.” “A hundred?” “Nope, lower.” “Fifty bucks?” The human shook his head. “Zero.” 

“All of this? Free?” Connor grinned. “Yep. That was part of the deal with Karai. She’s paying me back for fucking up my life, so free ammo and guns for… life, really. If her arms dealer guy is still there, yadda yadda. Show him that star, I get free reign. There’s a catch with this entire situation, though. If any of her guys even touch me, she knows they’re going to be killed on the spot. No one wants a waste of trained soldiers, right? So, her guys aren’t going to fuck with me, and by extension, you guys most likely. Those are surprises two and three.” Don was in borderline shock at this point, looking at the table and back at the human. “Well, those are surprises, alright. What happened after you left that armory?” Connor sighed. “I got in my car and opened up that binder… you know what happened then. Drove here with a complete disregard for any speed limits, blasting metal all the way back. You probably noticed I had that one song repeating on my phone earlier.” 

Don nodded. “I listened to it. Is that how you felt earlier?” “That’s precisely how I felt, really. I got back to the lair not even thinking. I gave you that binder… you know what happened from then.” The turtle chuckled. “You run off, peel out of the garage, go up to the rooftop to give me a message, go… somewhere else unknown, and come back here back to normal. Should I call that a ‘typical day in Connor’s life’ or not?” The human shook his head. “Not at all. When I’m fucked up in the head to that extent… then sure, maybe. I still don’t intend on getting that fucked up on purpose, you know.” The turtle held up his hand. “I know. I do have one question, though.” “What?” “Do you feel alright now?” Connor chuckled. “One thing’s for certain, I’m not even going to open that binder right now. That’s where I’m at…” The human then stood up, heading back toward his lover. Straddling Don’s lap, Connor pulled their heads together, kissing the turtle. 

“I love you, and I hope it doesn’t offend you by saying that. I just… need to accept myself a little more, I guess. I still kind of feel like I’m some sort of freak, a sideshow act. Before you say anything, I know what it’s like being you now.” Don chuckled. “Welcome to the show, honorary turtle. Anything I can help you with?” Connor looked to the side. “Well, I need to pack all of that shit up and/or install it. And I need to get started on that video, I almost forgot about it.” The turtle smiled. “Well, I’ll let you get to it. You’ve also given me a lot of work to do as well…” Connor snickered. “I didn’t mean to. It’s just there’s entire chapters in there that I wouldn’t even be able to comprehend. I flipped through it quickly, and some stuff flew right over my head, like the protein synthesis notes and shit like that.” 

Don groaned. “I have a hard time with that stuff too… I’ll probably skip that stuff too, to be honest. I doubt there’s anything I know that you couldn’t get in a week. If you say something flew over your head, I doubt I’d get it without months of research.” Connor quirked an eyebrow. “Really?” Don nodded. “Seriously. You’re damn smart, street-wise and book-wise. I don’t think I’ve seen you be honestly ignorant about or of anything. Hell, you taught Usagi 400 years of history in a matter of hours… an outline, of course. How long did it take for you to learn all of that?” “Uhh, seven months? Minus all the tests and essays I had to take in school relating to it, of course.” Don grinned. “To be a truly good teacher, you need to take your knowledge and effectively simplify it without diluting the actual information involved. That’s damn hard to do. Hell, you taught April how to drive stick. Casey is good at driving stick, but he couldn’t manage to teach her. But you did…” 

Connor smiled. “Thanks, babe. But I do seriously need to get out of here… Sitting here on you is great and all, but we do have things we need to be doing.” Don whimpered. “I know… but I do like staying with you, babe.” The human stood up, grabbing his new backpack. “Oh, I forgot to mention this, but he also gave me this bag. I think I’m going to use it from now on, it’s a lot bigger than the one I have now.” Don chuckled as Connor started to pack the bag up. “Can you explain why you got so many rounds, again?” “Guy’s an arms dealer, and he was waiting on a new shipment. Can’t stock the shelves if they’re full. Anyway, I’m out of here.” He slung the bag around his shoulder, saluting to the turtle as he left the lab. First stop, his workshop. Heading across the hall, he entered the small room. Sitting down, he immediately took his Glock, making sure it was completely empty before he started installing parts. Disassembling it as he had done before, he popped the threaded barrel in place, putting the rest of the slide back together. Next was the little laser and light sight that X had given him on a whim. Opening its box, Connor looked at it. 

It slid onto the front of the gun under the muzzle, held in place by two Allen-headed screws that he didn’t have a key for. Groaning, he stood up, heading back across the hall. Popping his head into Don’s lab, he called out. “Hey babe, do you have an Allen key set anywhere?” Don held up a hand before he fumbled around in his drawers, going ‘Aha!’ when he found a set. “Got some right here.” Connor walked in, taking the set when Don handed them to him. “Thanks. Just so happens my new little sight is held in by two Allens… when I don’t have any tools for them down here. I didn’t want to go all the way to the garage.” Don shook his head. “Lazy ass.” The human shrugged. “Work smarter, yadda yadda. I’ll give these back when I’m done.” Don chuckled. “I know you will.” Connor just smiled as he walked out, heading back across the hall. Finally being able to screw the sight in place, he tested it. The button on the left turned the light on, and it was bright enough. The button on the right turned the laser on, which this sight had a green one. Connor chuckled when he saw it. “I thought it would have been red, but I guess green is a bit brighter to the human eye.” 

Turning the light and the laser off, he grabbed the suppressor, screwing it onto the end of the barrel. “I do want to test and see how quiet it does get… but not right now.” Sliding one of the pre-filled 17-round magazines he had into the gun, he slid the slide back, chambering a hollow-point round. “Well, it looks like I’m done with that…” He sat the gun on the bench off to the side, so he wouldn’t have an excuse to fiddle with it. Standing back up, it was only a moment before he was back in the lab, handing the Allen keys to Don, who was inquisitive, to say the least. “Does the gun look any cooler?” Connor nodded. “It’s awesome. Want to look at it? It’d be better than me explaining.” The turtle kind of froze up. “Uhh… sure? I guess… I would be nervous to touch it is all.” Connor shook his head. “You’re smart. Splinter held my gun… empty, of course, and he muzzle-swept me. You know better than to do that.” Don snorted. “Did he really?” “Yeah, but he didn’t know any better. I did tell him it was unloaded, but you still can’t wave a gun around even if it is… More of a tool, less of a toy. Hang on, I’ll go and get it…” Heading back across the hall for the umpteenth time, he grabbed his handgun.

“So, here it is.” Connor sat the handgun on the desk in front of Don. The turtle’s eyes widened. “God, this looks so cool!” The human chuckled. “Tell me about it.” “How quiet does the suppressor make it?” Connor shrugged. “I don’t know, want to try it out?” Don looked confused. “In here?” “You seriously could, because this is the biggest room in the lair. Just aim at nothing.” Don shook his head. “I’m not doing it. You can.” Connor laughed. “Alright. I’m going to aim at that far wall near the ceiling, would that be okay?” Don paused. “There’s nothing back behind it, so sure?” The human chuckled as he grabbed the gun, carefully aiming toward the top of the wall. “I can’t see through the sights… hang on.” He flicked on the laser, and Don went ‘whoa’ before Connor looked over and smiled. “That’s cool, huh? Anyway, prepare your ears just in case it’s kind of loud. It’s going to be nowhere near what it’s like without.” “Okay.” Don held his hands over his ears, while Connor pulled the trigger back. The click of the firing pin and the sound of crumbling concrete was all that was heard, with a loud tapping reverberating through the room. “Holy shit.” Don laughed. “That was silent!” 

Connor shrugged. “I guess that was the goal. I thought it was going to make some noise, but god damn. That was literally silent. No wonder these things are illegal, shit.” The two started laughing, with Don stopping first. “Well, now there’s a new hole in my wall.” Connor grinned. “Yeah, there is. No one else would know it’s from this… So, we’re going to keep this between us, right?” Don nodded. “Obviously… and about keeping this between us, what about the events of today? What should I tell Leo?” The human groaned. “Nothing, unless he specifically asks about something. Just don’t talk about the arms dealer or what I left up on the roof. Need-to-know basis on all of this.” “Got it… Look, I love you, babe. I’m just a little worried about you is all.” Connor sat the gun on the desk, walking over toward the turtle. Straddling his lap again, he looked into the turtle’s brown eyes with his blue ones. “Babe, if I wasn’t alright, you would very obviously tell. I’m fine now, I’m calm. Me running off a while ago cleared my system. Raph punches walls, I slowly peel the front tires off my car... I don’t intend on ever using this gun against anyone in the Hamato family, so there’s that. My bullets are saved for people who are threatening me or you or anyone else I care about, and that’s a promise. If Mikey gets on my nerves, I might wave it in the air, but I won’t point the barrel at him, if you get the gist.” 

Don switched from being anxious to completely relaxed at that moment, laughing. “I trust you… sorry. I guess that was just my split-second reaction.” Connor nodded. “I get it, but damn. You said you weren’t going to be the helicopter boyfriend… Now I see where that’s gone.” Don chuckled. “Sorry. Can’t help it sometimes.” The human smiled before he kissed the turtle. “I know. But if it gets me this close to you often, it’s not all bad.”

* * *

6:58 PM

* * *

Connor was on his laptop on the couch, piecing clips of video together from the driving lessons that night. Dragging a shot from the outside camera into Davinci Resolve, his phone started to ring. “Who is this?” he muttered out loud before he pulled it out of his pocket. “Juan?” He answered, putting the phone to his ear. “Yo.” “Nigga, where have you been!? You’ve been out of school for two weeks, like what the fuck!” Connor groaned. “It’s a long story.” “Nigga, your car hasn’t even been in your fucking driveway!” Splinter, Leo and Mikey started to turn their heads toward the human, who started to stumble in his speech. “U-uh…” “Don’t uh me bitch. Where the hell are you?” “I don’t know if you’d believe me, but I’m in New York right now.” Juan started laughing. “Damn, how much have I smoked today… You’re not fuckin’ serious.” Connor swallowed. “I’m in Manhattan right now, seriously.” “Nigga, your dad’s car is still in the driveway. Did you run away?” Connor slowly turned red. “Yeah, I may have…” Juan paused. “Nigga, they’ve almost been putting up missing signs for you. The school doesn’t know where you are, your dad has been driving around all of fucking Hall County looking for your car.” 

Connor choked, tearing up a bit. “Shit…” “Sam’s looking like she was hit by a fucking train, nigga. Why the fuck did you run off?” “I-it’s a really long story.” “It had better be. I wanted to smoke you up tonight too, like fuck outta here. Can’t do that, your bitch ass is in fucking New York.” “Man, look. It was a bunch of circumstances you wouldn’t believe even if you were blazed to hell.” Juan chuckled. “That’s what they all say. Hell, fuckin’ Vish has been asking me where you were. You know how he is.” “Damnit.” “Exactly. Are you gonna be back sometime soon?” Tears started to run down Connor’s cheeks. “I don’t fuckin’ know… That’s the problem. I don’t even know if I could go back at this point.” Juan sighed. “Look nigga, you can text me, aight? It just sucks smoking alone.” Connor chuckled. “I know how that is. Look, I gotta let you go.” “Hopefully not for forever, nigga. You’re like my only damn friend and here you are-“ Connor dropped his voice into a growl. “Look. Don’t be a cunt telling my dad where I am, got it? Bye.” 

The human hung up the phone, setting it on the coffee table in front of him. Blotting his face dry with his shirt, he sighed. “And that there was my best friend calling me…” Leo started to speak. “Have you talked to anyone from back home?” Connor shook his head. “Nope. It looks like I dropped off the face of the earth to them. My mom has been machine-gun texting me since I left, but I haven’t replied to a single one. Fuck me… Here I am, not even graduated from high school, left my job and my family for what reason? My friend just said my dad’s been driving everywhere around where I lived looking for me, and my sister looks worse than she usually does… I feel pathetic.” Leo sighed. “You’re not pathetic. This is just something we need to work through. Do you think your friend might talk to your dad?” Connor shrugged. “Maybe, maybe not. He’s generally kept his distance. That’s the reason he’s my friend, after all.” The blue-banded turtle nodded. “Well, that’s a start. Do you need any help with anything relating to back home?” 

Connor shook his head. “Not right now. All I’m going to need to figure out is if I should fully become a New York citizen yet. Eventually my Georgia driver’s license, car registration and insurance will start to expire. I have at least until September until that happens, so that’s a decent amount of time to think.” Leo smiled. “At least you recognize that.” Connor chuckled. “I guess so. Anyway, I’m going to keep working on this video, unless I’m interrupted again, that is… Oh, Mikey, I’ve got a favor.” The orange-banded turtle paused his game, turning around in his leather seat. “What’s up?” “Do you think you could draw little cartoonish faces for each of us? I’d like something to represent who’s who on the little leaderboard and stuff.” Mikey stood up, heading over to the couch. “What do you mean?” Connor showed him the editing software. “Basically, have little pictures of each of us… hang on.” He grabbed a scrap piece of paper off the coffee table, taking a pencil and scribbling on it. “Have a little free-floating head for each of us.” He drew a few little ovals, one for each person. “See, kind of like this.” He labeled each one with a name, and then using it in an example with a small bit of dialog. 

Mikey’s eyes lit up. “I get it now!” “So, could you do it?” The turtle nodded. “That should be easy to do. Do you need them right now?” Connor shook his head. “I can pop them in when I’m done with the layout process, which is near the end of this. Sometime today or tomorrow would be nice, though.” Mikey smiled. “This will be fun!” Connor smirked and shook his head. “Well, if it’s so fun, can you do it now?” The orange-banded turtle pretty much froze, before Connor continued to speak. “Or is Fortnite that much more fun?” Leo laughed in the background. “You already know.” “I do, but I had to get a little bit of a jab in. Get back to your game, Mike.” The turtle immediately did so, and Splinter got up, heading into his shoji. Leo looked over as the rat walked down the small hallway, but he paid it no mind. Sometimes the tension or excitation in the lair got to the rat, sometimes for the worse. Leo just didn’t know if today was one of those days, which made him block out the thought. 

Even though Splinter was his father, he was still a person after all.


	19. Gambling

* * *

I apologize for the extended delay… jeeze. I haven’t posted anything to The Mysterious Man since July… And it’s almost 2019! Things have certainly changed in my life. First off, I got an actual job worth something… we moved to a different house… uh. Let’s see… Oh, I’m finally driving my car every day for once! Yesterday, I was underneath the damn thing swapping out the fuel filler tube. Every time I filled it up, it started pissing gas all over the ground. Looks like it also has a coolant leak, too. How fun. The almighty Escort in my story is a little more reliable than in real life, I say that much. 

I guess if I just put myself to writing more, I actually have the time for it… the pins in Word finally tempted me… I wrote 1,200 words of this chapter today, probably more than I had written in the past three months in total.

Thanks to all who have read the story so far… sorry for blue-balling you guys for this long. Chapter 19 coming up! I promise that romantic dinner will be here soon enough!

***Also, do not attempt any of the driving described in this chapter, even if you do know what you’re doing in terms of vehicle dynamics. Stick roughly to speed limits, be careful… and put your damn phone down. Fuck’s sake.

redescort - December 27, 2018

 

RECOMMENDED LISTENING:  
In My Zone - Rittz, Mike Posner  
Rittz is one of the more underrated rappers in my opinion… being from Northside ATL helps in a couple of ways.

Digital Voodoo - Korsakoff  
How can I not link something from one of the queens of hardcore? Sheesh.

Whatever the hell the NFL theme is… - Who knows  
na na na na na naaaa, na na na na na…

* * *

Thursday, February 8, 2018 7:04 PM

 

Closing the door to his shoji, Splinter sat on the tatami-trimmed floor. Closing his eyes, he started to slip into the trance that accompanied meditating. In the past, he had tried to get his sons to meditate, but only Leo seemed to pick it up. Don was too busy researching or fixing things to do so, Raph had been notoriously too angry to even get into some sort of relaxing trance, and Mikey… well, he was Mikey. However, none of that even was remotely in the sensei’s mind at this moment. Instead, he felt a slight buzzing sensation in the base of his skull, signaling he was about to slip into a meditative session. The response is different for different practitioners, however. Leo mentioned years ago that his signal was that his nose started to itch. Hearing that made Splinter laugh, but it did make sense. 

Splinter’s meditation journeys tended to take him into the past, to see reality from a different person’s perspective. Today, it was Connor he was intending on studying, at least in this method. When he intended to investigate a person’s past, different things tended to happen. For each of his sons, he usually saw something that showed their true character in different ways, for April and Casey, he saw different things they did for each other. Connor, however, was an unknown even in the astral world. The rat inhaled slowly, relaxing his heart rate as the sounds and scents of his shoji faded out, to what smelled like a crisp breeze, with the rustling of leaves overhead. The temperature in the room seemed to drop noticeably, with the feeling of gravel and loose silt under his feet.

* * *

Monday, November 27, 2017, 7:42 AM  
Flowery Branch, Georgia

* * *

Looking around where he was now, Splinter was at first confused. It was what looked like a dirt driveway, with a smattering of cars dotted around. A butter-yellow house was about fifty feet away, and he was outside the front of it. “That’s Connor’s car there,” Splinter said to himself as he looked at the faded red compact. There were a few other cars in the front yard, a silver and a gold car, a silver SUV, and a white car. The rat didn’t know enough about cars to know what they were, but he at least could recognize the teenager’s car. A screech in the distance shot his head up, as he noticed the house’s screen door opening. Connor came out, dressed in jeans and a red hoodie. Holding his phone to his ear, he was speaking. “Yeah, I’ll be there by one, just a normal day for me, why? You’re not going to be there? Okay… Alright, talk to you later.” Hanging up the phone, he walked to the back of his car, opening the hatch and slinging his backpack in. He pretty much stared at Splinter for a couple of seconds before he shook his head, muttering “stop zoning out”. 

Splinter sighed in relief, as he knew that Connor didn’t sense he was there. Even when he was meditating, he still needed to keep in mind that this was the past, and nothing he did would change any sort of action. He was just ‘along for the ride’. The human got into his car, and Splinter followed suit, gliding through the car’s door, sitting in the passenger’s seat. Connor muttered “Damn bosses leaving work to the little guys…” as he started his car. The engine started, vibrating at different frequencies as it started to slowly warm up. Once the sensation changed, Connor grabbed Reverse, backing out of their driveway. Turning around, he pulled out onto the main road, heading southwest. The human seemed rather normal to the rat now, surprisingly. Not that he had a reason to be, of course, considering he hadn’t been injected with a mutagen at this point, and he hadn’t even known the Turtles at this time, either. 

Turning left onto another road, the human muttered “Come the fuck on” as he slowed to a stop. A traffic controller was ahead, letting people in and out of the elementary school to the right. The human got waved through, and he gritted his teeth as he grabbed first, easing off the clutch to get going again. Turning his turn signal on to go right, he turned onto a narrow 2-lane road, one Splinter felt like he was familiar with. As the human started to accelerate, the realization hit him. “This is the road he lost the Foot on…” However, Connor’s driving was highly different than the style he had put on when he was chased. The human was more laid back, bobbing his head to the loud rap music playing through the stereo. However, a tight corner was coming up. Splinter watched carefully as Connor grinned. As he turned the volume down, he said “Here’s where the fun starts.” The rat was focused on the road, noticing the human wasn’t slowing down for the corner. “Come on Connor, slow down…” A chuckle came from Splinter’s left, as Connor stabbed the brakes, heel-toe downshifting into second gear. 

Chucking the car into the tight right-hander, Connor smiled. As he lifted off the brakes, he felt the weight shift to the rear end. The left tires were almost near the limit of their grip, but the human felt it. Adding throttle as he exited the corner, he started chuckling. “That was the best apex yet…” He sped up, shifting into third gear at this point. Splinter could only watch what the human was doing at this point, however, so he couldn’t comment. Connor just went into some sort of focus, intending on piloting his car the quickest he could through the set of upcoming corners. Downshifting again, he flicked the car into a 90-degree left-hander, laughing as he exited. “God, this is so much fun!” That fun didn’t last long, however, because after Connor turned a blind corner, a minivan was up ahead. The human groaned at the sight. “Ugh, come on. A minivan? Really?” 

With the big vehicle still ahead, Connor slowed down, tapping his fingers on the steering wheel. “Can you go at least forty for fuck’s sake?” The minivan didn’t speed up, so he stayed stuck behind it until the end of the road. As Connor signaled to turn right, Splinter looked around the car. There was a half-full can of PB Blaster and an empty tube of super glue in the passenger’s footwell, making him twitch his whiskers in real life. “I hope it’s cleaner than this now…” is what Splinter said to himself as the human turned into the parking lot for his high school. The rat looked up, noticing the vast variety of vehicles through the rows. From lifted trucks to whipped out muscle cars, pretty much anything could be found on the expanse of asphalt behind the school. The human found a parking spot about halfway up the lot, so he pulled in, shutting off his car as he did so. Getting out, Connor went to the back of his car again, pulling his backpack out. With Splinter merely watching the situation, he noticed a white ID attached to a lanyard on the bag. 

He jogged to keep up with the human, letting him see what was on the ID. A picture of Connor was on it, along with his name and an orange stripe, the function of which was unknown to the rat. Connor unzipped his bag, pulling his headphones out of it while he was still walking. Plugging them into his phone, they were now in the building. Splinter’s body started to warm up at this point, getting closer to the room temperature of the lair at this point. Some sort of administrator was by the doors of the school, growling out “IDs!” Connor sighed and shook his head, untying the lanyard from his bag, throwing it around his neck. Still walking through the main hallway of the school, Splinter looked around, to get some sense of where the human’s education took place. Flags overhead were adorned with a bird on them, with the school’s logo over top, in a red and black motif. The whole environment was novel to Splinter, who thought American high schools were like in the movies, but this felt oddly depressing in comparison. 

He continued to follow the human through the school, until they entered a mess of people. Connor made his way through the crowd, pulling his headphones down onto his neck when he got near the middle of it. Holding out his hand toward his friend, he chuckled. “Sup?” “Nothin’, nigga.” Connor shook his head, putting his hand back down. “Forget I asked then, damn. Should I assume what you did over the weekend?” Before the friend could respond, however, Splinter looked at who Connor was talking to. He was roughly six feet tall, with gauged ears and a tattoo on his right arm with some sort of symbol on it. Before the rat could pass judgement, the two walked toward the food line, getting some sort of breakfast. Splinter just looked on, looking around at all the different people in the cafeteria. All of them had ID badges like Connor’s on, with different colored stripes. While Splinter was near the back of the cafeteria, the bell rung. The rat’s eyes widened as a herd of people went every which way, even walking through him at points. 

Looking across the cafeteria, he noticed Connor was at a vending machine, swiping his card. He started to walk across the expanse, dodging people for no reason. His real-life proclivities still tended to follow him into the astral world, even when they weren’t necessary. He cut through a few more people before he followed the human yet again, down another hallway. “How does he not get lost in this building?” He shook his head at the thought. “He was in here every day for weeks on end, he must know.” He focused back on the human, who was turning right into another hallway. Splinter was in the human’s wake before he turned right into a classroom. Yawning as he walked in, his teacher smiled. “Good morning, Connor.” Connor rubbed his eyes. “I guess you could call it that. I’m tired.” “And why are you tired?” He chuckled as he walked over to his computer. “I may or may not have worked on my car until one last night.” “Connor!” He shrugged as he sat his soda down. “I needed to get here somehow, and I didn’t want to Flintstone it.” Splinter snorted before he felt the heat in the classroom soak into his robes. Either something was wrong with him, or his teacher liked keeping the room rather warm.

Connor logged into his assigned computer, sighing when it froze. Holding down the power button, he muttered “Damn computers. I wish I could crack this fuckin’ thing open and fix it myself, but oh no, that’s against the rules and I can be suspended for that, what a joke.” Splinter’s eyes widened when he heard that. “Suspended? For fixing a computer? That’s quite totalitarian.” Connor just continued to either mutter nonsense or growl in his chest as he loaded up a program. Splinter looked on as the human loaded up an entire screen of code, his eyes glazing over as he tried to understand what it all meant. He understood a couple of words, like ‘public’ and ‘private’ but not ‘var’ or ‘int’. The human was unfazed, opening another window. A white-haired man was in it, over a screen of more code. Plugging his headphones into the computer, the human focused in on the screen. Splinter smirked and stood up, walking back into the hallway.

Turning right, he walked down the hallway, noticing that no one was opening lockers, just walking past them. The movies he had watched showed him that all the drama in a school happened in the hallways, but here it was teachers talking across to other rooms, people going in and out of work rooms, and students walking through, not paying any attention to their surroundings, eyes buried in smartphones instead. Two red-striped girls were laughing ahead, with one borderline yelling out “Bih, look at this! Trisha had this shit on Snap last night! I was dyyying!” She showed her phone to the other girl, who busted out laughing. “Damn, she’s gettin’ it, ain’t she?” The two walked by the rat, who spotted someone dancing on the screen of the phone. Shaking his head, he continued to walk to the end of the hallway, turning right yet again. Splinter watched as about ten people entered the doors on the left-hand side of the hallway, so he followed. 

Inside the doors was an overpowering scent of vinyl, which made the rat dizzy for a second. Looking forward, he noticed he was on top of a sort of balcony, with the students funneling either left or right, left into a walled-off area and right down a flight of stairs. Downstairs was the main gymnasium, with bleachers on either side. The school’s mascot was on the back wall, also emblazoned with black and red lettering. Splinter walked to the left into the walled-off area. Inside were students, all sitting on different exercise equipment. Splinter started to get curious as he walked around. Most of the equipment was for weight-lifting, which he immediately recognized. Raph used the same equipment at the lair, so it wasn’t too hard to figure out. Turning around, he left the gym to continue down the hallway, looking around. People were still walking through, but nothing was going on. There was classroom after classroom, but no signifying features anywhere Splinter was. 

He kept walking around, until the same bells from earlier rung overhead. Everyone in the hallways seemed to get a move on, walking even quicker than they were. Students started to split up, heading into each of their own classrooms. However, some stayed leaning against the lockers, either on their phones or talking to their presumed lovers. The rat had one goal though, and that was to get back to the room Connor was in. Looking around, he had no idea where he was, and the maps of the school dotted around didn’t help all that much, because the room numbers were confusing. All those worried thoughts eased once Splinter walked back into the now-dwindling cafeteria. Noticing the hallway Connor went into earlier, he retraced his steps to get to the back hallway. Turning right again at the end of it, he found the classroom he was looking for. Gliding through the door, he looked around the classroom. 

There were four rows of computers, laid out horizontally across the room. Connor was in the second row, shared with two other people. There was a green carpet throughout, with a white-and-green countertop with a sink at the front. The teacher’s desk was freestanding near the front, which had a hexagonal fish tank on it. Splinter peered into it, noticing a blue betta fish in it. Around the fish tank were a bunch of random items, computer related to not-so-much. Turning around, the rat noticed the students in the room, focused on their computers. Not all of them were focused on their work, a few were watching videos, and a few were playing games. Sitting down next to Connor again, Splinter even noticed he wasn’t as focused in on the code as he was before, switching between various things on the computer. Time seemed to fast forward, and before the rat knew it, the bell was ringing again. 

Everyone left the classroom, save for Connor. ‘Doesn’t he have another class?’, Splinter wondered. Calmly, Connor switched computers, logging in. A taller student walked in, blurting out “Eyyy, my boy!” “Sup, Vish?” “I may have finished the Jeep last night… and it’s hilarious.” Vish held his phone out, playing a video. Looking over, Connor’s eyebrow quirked before a tune came out of the phone. He put his head in his hand as he started to laugh. “You really did it, huh? A musical horn…” Vish beamed. “I blasted this thing all the way into the lot this morning.” Connor sighed. “Really?” “You didn’t hear it? I passed by your car on the way in.” Connor shook his head. “I was probably already inside at that point… not like I would want to hear that anyway. How much was that horn anyway?” Vish groaned. “Like a hundred bucks.” “For a hundred bucks, you could have swapped out your head unit already… but no.” “I can play music through the horn though! Your piece of garbage can’t do that, can it?” 

Connor looked over, smirking. “It can’t, but at least the money I’ve put into my setup is more practical… also you had to call my car a piece of garbage. Look in the mirror, bud.” The classroom was filling up at this point, so the teacher closed the door. “Is that everyone?” Connor looked around. “Aaron’s gone… you know where he is?” Vish shook his head. “Didn’t see the Mad Monte in the parking lot. Should I text him?” Connor chuckled. “Sure.” Vish tapped on his phone as the teacher continued. “So, today we’ll make a poster for the Chick-Fil-A biscuit sales. You guys all know what that is, I hope.” Vish called out “The best time of year!” before the teacher smirked. “You could call it that. But, you have total freedom. Make it whatever you want, but it must be in PowerPoint, it must have the dates on it, and the FBLA logo. The dates are up here on the board.” Connor raised his hand. “That’s it?” The teacher nodded. “That’s it. You guys should get this done in what, fifteen minutes?” Connor snickered to himself, thinking “That’d be easy.”

Half an hour later, Connor was sitting alongside his classmate, scrolling through listings of cars for sale on Craigslist. Vish kept talking, even interrupting over himself at certain points. “Dude, look at… no! This WJ is sooo clean…” The teacher slowly grew more exasperated as Vish continued to talk. “Vish! I get it, you like Jeeps! I even had one! I like them too! But please!” “I’ll shut up.” The teacher smiled and sighed. “Thank you.” As that class ended with more quiet talk of beat-up used cars, Splinter noticed a certain ease about the human. Was it simply not knowing his future or being complacent with his current situation, however, he couldn’t know.

* * *

11:58 AM

* * *

Connor was in his fourth period class, surprised when the bell rung to send everyone to lunch. He, however, was leaving to go to work. Splinter watched as the teenager threw his bag over his shoulder, walking left out of the classroom he was in, heading down two separate hallways before making a right. Splinter walked a bit quicker to catch up, barely seeing Connor scratch “12 1-6” on the sign-out sheet. After he set the pen down, he turned around, walking back to the parking lot where his car was. The rat kept up, noticing the human’s face had zero emotion on it, almost like he ‘clocked out’ mentally… as Mikey or Leo would say. 

The human just kept walking, talking to no one all the way until he twisted his key in the door of his car’s door. As he got in, he sighed. “Another week of the bullshit grind” was what he muttered as he popped the clutch in, starting his car. Connor continued to talk to himself, however. “God, I wish there was some change sometime…” Splinter chuckled. He thought to himself, ‘Only if you knew, my son.’ As the human rev-bombed someone reversing out of their spot blindly, Splinter slipped back into his thoughts. “Where did he say he worked again… A tire shop? I believe so… I am interested to see what goes on behind the scenes there. I know he is quite knowledgeable about vehicles, so that should definitely show.” 

After the rat finished that thought, however, Connor was pulling out of his school’s parking lot. The guard waved him out, considering he left for work every day at the same time. Ahead of them was a hill. The human was in second gear, and he accelerated up it rather quickly, getting to about 35 miles per hour before he had to stop. He looked left and right, getting ready to merge onto the two-lane road the school was on. He was in first gear, barely riding the clutch as a Nissan Pathfinder passed. The human lifted off the clutch, keeping the front tires right at the edge of spinning. Flooring it, he tapped the rev limiter. Splinter was confused about that sensation. “Is his engine broken? That sound was rather odd.” Skipping gears, the human shifted into third and then fifth gear, calming down. 

Splinter’s demeanor also calmed after the human stopped pushing his car wide-open. The human mumbled ‘oh’ as he pressed Play on his head unit. After a few seconds, a song started playing. At the bruising pace of 51 miles per hour, Connor started to lip-sync to Rittz rapping. “Right up 85 North there I was, working, breaking down doors and barriers… Still representing Georgia, I’m feeling the support…” The rat looked over in disbelief. Connor both knew the words to this song and kept in time with the rapper’s fast tempo. The lyrics also seemed to fit what Connor was like in New York, also. As the rat mulled over that coincidence, Connor revved his engine up twice before he turned right, to add to the confusion Splinter was experiencing. “What did he just do?” Much to Splinter’s ignorance, Connor heel-toe downshifted into third gear before he turned the corner, much like a race driver would.

The human turned the car once more before he pulled back into his driveway a couple of miles later, making the suspension bottom out as he bombed through the raised rocky section leading into the dirt pad he parked in. Locking the brakes up, he slid to a stop, quickly shutting the car off before he got out, ducking under the automatic seat belt as the beeper for the key in the ignition sounded. Connor seemed to rush into his house while Splinter followed. Jiggling the door knob, the human cursed under his breath before he walked back to his car, taking the keys out. Unlocking the door with his key, he sighed as he walked in. Splinter looked around as the human went in, noticing a distinct smell of beer that got stronger as he got closer to the living room. As he poked his head into the wood-clad room, the rat noticed a tall shirtless man lying on the couch, snoring. Next to him on the coffee table were three bottles of beer, two empty and one half-empty. 

“This must be Connor’s father,” Splinter mentally noted as he turned around. Down the hallway was Connor’s bedroom, where he had the door open when he was changing into his work clothes. The rat caught a glimpse of the human stripped down to his underwear for a brief moment before he shook it off and looked through the rest of the house. The kitchen was attached to the living room, the two joined by the dining room. There wasn’t a table with place settings however, instead the table was dominated by Connor’s computer setup, comprised of three separate computers on the weak dining table. One was beige, and the other two were gray and black. Not knowing much about computers, he moved into the kitchen. It was serviceable, with a stack of dishes in the sink and a chest freezer. The washing machine and dryer were also in the kitchen, said freezer in between them. As Splinter went down the short hallway, there were two bedrooms on the left and a bathroom on the right. 

Before he could gather his thoughts on those rooms, however, Connor was coming out of his room, wearing clothing identical to what he was wearing when they found him in the sewers. The human, however, walked into the kitchen, opening the fridge. Grabbing a black-and-green can out of it, he cracked it open as he walked back out of the door, locking it again. Splinter glided through the door, getting back into the passenger’s seat of Connor’s car. The human buckled himself in, slotting the Monster can in his cupholder before he restarted the engine, backing out of the driveway quickly. Splinter was jarred by this, but the human cut the steering wheel all the way to the right before he put in the clutch, revving up the engine before letting it out again. The front tires started to spin, turning the car around in the gravel pad. Dropping the car into first gear, Connor dropped the clutch, making the wheels spin as he pulled out of the gravel. Rocks were spraying all around the undercarriage of his car as he gritted his teeth, a cloud of dust trailing behind them. 

Pulling onto the road, he floored the throttle, making the inner tire spin up and squeal. The rat was both surprised at the maneuvers the human pulled off, but noticed he was visibly angry. Connor started to growl as he got into the left turn lane 300 feet down the road. “That fucker’s already been drinking and it’s not even fucking lunch time yet… And, of course, he’s fucking passed out on the couch. Fucking lazy prick. No wonder I get on his case all the damn time if he doesn’t do shit all day… What a great father if all he fucking does is get whacked or work himself to hallucinating...” Splinter noted all of this, feeling sympathetic. As the human turned left to go over a bridge, he seemed to calm down a bit. After the bridge ended, Connor downshifted into third gear, and then second. He got into the right turn lane to go down a parkway while he looked left. There was no one coming, so he held about 30 miles per hour through the corner, making the tires squeal. 

Splinter didn’t have a handle to hold onto, but he braced himself with the door panel. Hanging on for dear life, the rat wasn’t well accustomed to being anywhere near the limits of a vehicle’s grip. Connor, however, accelerated up to 50 miles per hour and dropped the car into fifth gear to coast down a hill. He still tapped his fingers on the steering wheel, still seething. At the next traffic light, he turned right, again downshifting and carrying as much speed as he could before he lost traction. Flooring it in second gear, the speed climbed. Splinter kept an eye on the speedometer. “30…40…50… please slow down… 60…” The same bucking sensation that he had felt earlier had kicked back in, and the human eased onto the brakes. Connor sighed, not because he had went 17 miles per hour over the speed limit, but because he had no more room to shift into third gear and keep hammering on the throttle.

Coming to a stop at the next intersection, he turned left onto another thin, bumpy road. Splinter wondered where the human was going before he turned into the inlet for a restaurant. Getting into the drive-thru, Connor pulled his wallet out of his pocket before he eased off the clutch to crawl forward. Getting to the order kiosk, he rolled down his window. “How are you doing today?” Connor smiled. “I’m doing okay… can I get a… uh… beef Quesarito and an order of fiesta potatoes?” The attendant replied with “Yes you can… any drinks today?” “No, thank you.” “That will be $5.33, please pull up to the window.” Rolling his window back up, Connor sat in the drive-thru until he was handed a brown bag of food. He sat it in the passenger’s seat, inside Splinter’s torso… not that Connor even knew he was there in the first place.

As the human merged onto the multi-lane thoroughfare, Splinter yet again wondered where he was going. However, that question was answered when Connor eased left into the turn lanes for Interstate 985 North. Reaching into the bag, he pulled the burrito out, unwrapping it. Splinter was kind of shocked that the human would eat while driving, especially when he drove a manual car. Connor, however, continued to hold the burrito as he nudged his shifter into first gear, easing off the clutch a bit before the traffic light turned green. When traffic started moving, he shifted up a few gears, going up the hill on the on-ramp while he took another bite of the burrito. As he crept up on 55 miles per hour, the human set the burrito back down on the passenger’s seat, looking over to see what traffic was coming up before he merged. 

“Oh, come the fuck on…” was all the human muttered as he saw the highway ahead of him more resembling a parking lot. Both lanes were completely clogged, and there were people cutting in and out of the entrance ramp to try to gain some time. Sighing in defeat, Connor knocked his car into neutral, coasting down the on-ramp while he slowed down to the snail’s pace ahead. Over the next ten minutes, the human continued to eat as he crawled forward in traffic, his temperature gauge climbing slowly as he did, until it cleared up. Three police cars and an ambulance were on the left shoulder, with officers leaning into a purple PT Cruiser. As traffic started to open back up, the human’s demeanor also eased, before he was again bobbing his head to the music playing through his stereo.

“Well, time to change some tires, I guess…” was all he muttered as eased into the off-ramp for Exit 20. He did have to make money somehow.

* * *

2:23 PM

 

“What do you mean I need a new tire? Can’t you patch it?” Connor shook his head. “I am afraid not, as your tear is right on the sidewall. We do not allow patching of that part of the tire, simply due to how dangerous it can be if that area is patched.” The woman in front of the counter scoffed. “You have to be kidding me.” Connor shook his head. “Would you like to see your tire and have me show you exactly why we can’t patch it?” The woman’s eyes lit up. “Fine. Show me.” Walking back to his tire machine, the human picked up the woman’s old tire. There was a 3-inch tear in one of the sidewalls, right through the steel belts. Bringing it back out to the waiting room, he placed it in front of her. “This is your tire. You see this big gash is what caused your tire to blow out like that. Run your finger inside here.” She did, and her face twisted. “It’s sharp!” Connor nodded. “And that sharp bit you touched is what physically holds your car up. We can’t patch it because of the load placed there.” 

The woman nodded. “I understand now. How much is a new tire?” Connor walked her back around to the register. “Let’s see… your tire is a 215-55R16, and we have a few options in stock. The cheapest tire we have for it is $78, but I wouldn’t recommend it. They are so slick in the rain… The tire I would recommend is around $93, and it feels a lot more solid, especially in the wet… Also, remember we do recommend replacing a minimum of two tires at once, so two new front or rear at the same time.” While the woman hemmed and hawed, Splinter was smiling. “He did describe that quite well… I even learned something about tires today.” The woman finally came up with a quasi-decision. “Are the cheaper tires that much worse?” Connor nodded in an exaggerated fashion. “They are. Also… I noticed you have child seats in the back of your car. The better tires are $15 more each, but it also gives you more insurance in slippery conditions. I know you wouldn’t want to see your kids being hurt due to saving… thirty bucks here.” 

That sealed the deal after a moment of silence. “Give me the better tires then. I wasn’t even thinking about that…” Connor nodded. “A lot of people don’t. They just tell me to slap the cheapest thing we’ve got on there, but then that’s the person you see on the side of the road changing a tire when it’s pouring raining… or rear ending someone cause their tires were bald… It should take about fifteen minutes to swap your tires out, I will pull your car out when it’s done.” The woman sat back down in the waiting room, sighing slightly. She wasn’t expecting to be spending over two hundred dollars in tires today, but with the way Connor worded it, it is worth her and her children’s safety to be spending the money now rather than later. Splinter followed the human back into the shop.

Connor went through the shelf of inventoried tires, picking out two Hankook all-seasons. Setting them by his tire machine, he used his scanner on his belt to tell their computer system that they needed to be re-stocked. Holstering the scanner, it was a trivial process to put the new tire on the wheel that was still sitting in the machine. First job was to lube up the beads of the tire, using the machine to pop it around the top and bottom of the rim. Splinter watched as the human used the pedals on the floor to spin the wheel around, eventually getting both beads to pop out under pressure. The first wheel was done, so he went to the next wheel. 

Fifteen minutes later, all the wheels were on the woman’s Nissan, with the new tires at the rear. Personally, Connor would have put the new tires on the front, but that means there is more chance of oversteer near the limits of grip or in slick conditions. Putting new tires at the rear increases the amount of understeer, which is easier to stop for most drivers, lifting off the throttle or slightly tapping the brakes to shift weight forward. Oversteer is a lot more steering work and a fine line between a spin or a correct counter-steer move to get it back in line. With that car done, Connor replaced his pair of rubber gloves for fresh ones and then got in the car, pulling it out to the front row of parking spots. 

Heading back inside, he called the woman over to the register, handing her keys over and ringing up the final bill. “So, that will be $273.43.” The woman pulled out her credit card, handing it over. With a swipe in the register, a receipt started printing, and Connor pulled her service order out from the side of the desk. “Here you go, and if you have any issues with these tires, please come back. You have free tire pressure and tread checks for the life of these two tires.” The woman smiled. “Thank you. I’m sorry if I was so rude earlier, I just couldn’t believe you.” Connor chuckled. “It’s alright, just normal for my line of work here. Anyway, you’re good to go.” The woman headed out the door, getting in her car, with Connor sighing. “Least she wasn’t one of the ‘I want to see your manager’ types. Thank god.” 

Splinter was confused. “There are worse customers than that? That must not be fun to deal with.” As Connor walked back out of the waiting room to pull another car into his work bay, Splinter just looked around the waiting room, and the diagrams of tires and car parts around it. There was much more he needed to learn about cars, but the one thing he learned today was that not all tires were the same. Normally, the rat thought a round rubber thing was the same as another, but apparently there are types for summer and winter, even types for more performance-oriented driving. All this sort of thing was a vast unknown to the rat, because most of the knowledge about vehicles fell to Raph or Don. Splinter had never owned a car or even driven one, only being a passenger occasionally when he lived in Japan. 

He only wondered what else Connor knew about from daily life, besides the obvious cars and computers. Splinter had picked up some of the things Connor had spoon-fed to him over the course of these few weeks, but there was more untapped potential in there somewhere.

* * *

10:09 PM

 

Connor shifted down to third gear, sighing. His dad was still being lazy and after running to a restaurant to get food for dinner, he just felt like shit. All his days were just school, work, run errands, sleep. School, work, run errands, sleep. He needed to let off some steam. Splinter was in the passenger’s seat, still afraid of how much speed the human was carrying on these tight backroads. To the rat’s dismay, however, Connor flicked his car into a right uphill left-hander, lifting off the throttle to get the back end to play around a bit. After countering the slide, he then downshifted into second gear, stabbing the throttle back on as he exited the corner. Shifting back up into third, he kept the gas pedal against the floor. Splinter just kept an eye on the speedometer, seeing it slowly climb as he counted. “74… 75… 76…” The human was unfazed as he kept pushing, only slowing down for a stop half a mile ahead. 

Turning right, the human spun up his front tires, quickly setting off as he then hit the rev limiter in first gear. Going as quickly as he could, Connor went through a series of corners, crossing by a few different roads over the next few minutes. The speedometer was pegged past 85 miles per hour on a straight section before he eased off, slowing down slightly before another series of corners, a left and then a right. Staying near the limit of grip through them, the human grinned before he planted the throttle going up a steep incline. Splinter was wondering what was coming up next before a small voice over the radio sung “Don’t be afraid…” Looking down at the radio, the song’s title was ‘Digital Voodoo’. However, he was deathly afraid of just what was next. More straight sections where Connor would blast off as fast as his car could push, or more gut-wrenching corners at the sheer limit? 

It was the latter. Quickly stabbing the brakes on, Connor downshifted to third gear, flicking the car into the tight right-hander with half experience and half hope, because he had never driven this section of road at anywhere near this speed. However, the front end hung on, so he slowly removed throttle before coasting down the hill, crossing a small bridge at 74 miles per hour. Splinter felt like he was going to throw up, the constant lateral and longitudinal motion upsetting the rat’s stomach. When the suspension on Connor’s car compressed at the bottom of the hill, that was the breaking point. Splinter looked for a way out of the car, but there wasn’t one. Connor was taking a left-handed corner, cutting over some painted lines for a turn lane. The rat could only think “I need to get out of this car right now…”

* * *

The Lair  
7:41 PM

 

Leo looked over, watching his father run upstairs to the bathroom. Following him up, he had to ask, because that behavior was highly unusual. “Father, are you okay?” However, that question was answered when he heard the splatter of vomit meeting porcelain. Leo looked into the bathroom, seeing the rat bent over the toilet. “Are you sick? Is it something you ate?” Splinter shook his head and quietly spoke. “I will be okay, Leonardo. Connor was just driving so fast… you know how I am in cars…” Leo quirked an eye ridge before he got it. “Were you in his car in the past?” Splinter nodded. “I just wanted to see what his life was like. But, he was on these dark roads going… well over seventy as he cut through corners… He is an excellent driver, but my stomach isn’t really made for it.” “Should I go and get him now?” The rat shook his head. “No, my son. I will talk to him in a bit here, after my stomach settles down.” 

The turtle sighed. “Stay here, I’ll go and get something for your stomach. Don’s gotta have something…” As he walked across the hall, Splinter sighed and started talking to himself. “I never knew I could have that sort of reaction when traveling like that… wow.” Leo came back into the bathroom with a packet. “So, if you put this in water and drink it, it’ll calm your stomach down, at least Don said that.” Splinter nodded while he filled a paper cup with water. “I’ve just never had that sort of reaction after four decades of meditation travel… It is quite interesting, what do you think?” Leo gritted his teeth while he spoke. “I just wonder if your reaction now is less than what it would be in real life. I don’t think you would want to try it, though.” “Now, that I do not know, my son. And no, I would not like to find out.” The rat massaged his scalp as he sighed again. “You do learn something every day.” Leo chuckled as Splinter downed the cup of antacid. 

With the two walking out of the bathroom, Splinter could immediately notice the burn from his stomach being washed away in relief, because he despised the feeling of being nauseous. Leo was still worried about his father, however. “You okay, Father?” Splinter nodded. “Whatever stuff that was did help quite a bit, I must admit.” Leo smiled. “I’m glad. Anyway, I’m going to the dojo… You are planning on talking to Connor, then?” “I am. I’d rather get his view of what I went through in the day I followed him through rather than me just assuming.” Leo nodded before he cut to the dojo, opening the doors. Splinter stood next to the human, who was still on the couch editing his video. “Son…” Connor looked up and smiled. “What’s up, Sensei?” “Can I talk to you in my shoji?” “Sure… you are worrying me. Something wrong?” Splinter shook his head. “No, I would just like to talk.” 

The human chuckled as he closed his laptop, setting it aside. “Well, lead the way then Sensei.” The rat walked toward his shoji, with the human following behind. With the two in the small room, Splinter gestured toward the pillow on the floor. “Please, sit my son. Have some tea.” Connor could only oblige, curious as to what this conversation was going to be about. “So, what’s up?” Splinter sighed. “I hope you don’t mind me explaining before you ask any questions.” Connor waved his hand in the air as he finished off the small cup of tea. “That’s fine.” The rat breathed deeply a couple of times before he continued. “So, I do not know if you saw me come in here earlier, but it was to find more details about your past… half because I was curious, also because hearing that phone call with your friend earlier made me wonder. Using a form of meditation, I can basically look into someone’s life, whatever points of it stick out I will see. Those points are different for everyone, of course. When I looked at my sons’ actions, I could see things that labeled parts of their individual characters, for example. However, in your case…it was quite different.”

The rat paused for a second, his stomach starting to burn again. After he hit his chest a couple of times, Connor’s face twisted a bit. “Sick to your stomach, Sensei?” Splinter only nodded. “That I will explain in a bit here. But the first thing that happened was that we drove to your school… Did you take the same road you lost that Foot patrol van on to school every day?” Connor thought for a second and started to reply. “Uh, yeah. The tight twisty one, yes… that road is called JM Turk Road. With the really tight downhill right-handed corner.” “That is the road, yes. How many times have you driven it, would you guess?” The human shrugged. “It has to be in the hundreds of times. I drove it once or twice every day I had school, and it was a nice little ‘back way’ to get to different places from my house. Why do you ask?” Splinter smiled. “Well, I was in the passenger’s seat as you drove through it…” “Let me guess, I drove through it as fast as I could.” “Precisely… you kind of scared me with how much speed you went through these corners with… I could barely see through them, but you were going quite fast, seeming like you knew every crack in the pavement. How often did you drive like that on that road, if I may ask?” Connor shrugged. “Pretty much every day if traffic was decent… but sometimes it was hampered by other cars or slippery conditions.”

Splinter paused before he continued to speak again. “Well, that explains why it was so easy for you to lose the Foot patrol then. Anyway, the next thing that I followed you through was going to school… and I do have a couple of questions about that.” The human only could wonder what was coming up next. “Sure, shoot.” “When you first were walking in, I noticed you had this… plastic card you had to have around your neck, can you explain that?” Connor laughed. “Oh, the stupid ass ID thing. Basically, it was that all students have to wear a badge showing their name and picture just so the school could know who ‘belonged’ and who didn’t… a lot of it coming from the fear of school shootings. You are aware of the implications of that, right?” Splinter could only nod, still intent on listening while Connor continued. “So, yeah. That’s what those are for, although they actually didn’t do anything besides send you to suspension or make you pay to replace one if you forgot it… Next question?” 

Splinter coughed before he continued the conversation. “When you went into the… place you eat… cafeteria?” Connor nodded before the rat continued. “The cafeteria. There was this person you were talking to… he was roughly six feet tall, black hair, pierced ears. You must have talked to him for ten minutes… was he a friend of yours?” The human sighed before he slouched a bit. “That was my best friend, Juan. I’ve told you about him, I think. He was just on the phone with me, wondering where the hell I was. He couldn’t believe I was literally in New York… and he told…” Sighing, he put his head in his hand, continuing. “He told me that my whole family was searching all of northeast Georgia looking for me. Anyway, that is a separate issue… What happened next?” Before Splinter continued, however, he put his hand on the human’s shoulder. “Son, we will find out a solution to telling your family about… well… us, I can guarantee that. Would you like me to continue, or shall we take a small break from this conversation?” 

Connor froze for a second before he shook his head. “No… no. I was about to say yes, but realized that would be against trying to get through the past, versus dwelling on it… Anyway, please do continue. What happened after you saw Juan and I talking?” Splinter’s eyes just lit up, glad to hear that the human was intent on not thinking about the past. “Well, let’s see. I followed you to your first classroom, it had green carpet in it. You were on the computer doing something that I couldn’t even recognize as Japanese or English… what was that?” “Uh, let’s see… that is first period, so it would have been my programming class. I guess at that point we were doing C# coding work. Basically, that alien-looking stuff is computer code, it tells the computer what to do and in what order. I was manually putting all of it in to create a small video game.” “I see. Do you know much of it?” The human shook his head. “Not really. I am still quite novice at programming anything. I’ll do it if I have to, but I prefer a solution that is already tested to work. Saves time and headache.” 

The rat nodded. “So, after that class, you stayed in that room… and you made an advertisement for a restaurant?” Connor laughed. “Oh, I remember that. It was a little ad for when they would sell chicken biscuits in the school. They’d have a little table set up with these, I think it was three bucks or three fifty each. They sold a ton of those things. The hallway would be all blocked up with people trying to buy them.” The rat paused. “Speaking of hallways, it seems people don’t use lockers like I have seen on television… why is that?” The human chuckled. “You probably figured the modern high school experience is not glamorous at all. The reason people don’t use their lockers is because you only have five minutes between classes. That’s it. Did you see how fast I had to walk to get to each of my classes? It’s for a reason, and not because I wanted exercise.” “Ah, that makes sense. Anyway, your friend kept talking about Jeeps after you finished with that. Does he like them?” The human started laughing. “Vish… yeah he likes them, you could say. He obsesses over the things. He had a Wrangler and kept contemplating where or not to do an engine swap, basically taking the old engine out and replacing it with another.” 

The rat’s face looked more puzzled. “You can put a different engine in a car than the one it came with?” Connor nodded. “It’s not uncommon, hell, I plan on putting the engine from the faster version of my car into mine. It will work the same as the old one but have more power and more potential. The only problem with a lot of engine conversions like this is that it does take a lot of custom work to get it going. The engine he wanted to put into his Jeep wasn’t originally designed to go into it, so there is a lot of adapting and things you need to do to get it to work.” The rat smiled. “Well, I learned something today. I never knew that was a possibility.” Connor rubbed his eyes. “There is a lot you still need to learn… anyway, what happened next?” “Well, my vision cut to roughly noon, when you were leaving for work. When you were coming out of the parking lot, something weird happened.” 

Connor looked confused. “Weird?” “Yes, weird. When you were first getting out of the parking lot, you were going, and then… the whole car kind of bucked forward and a weird noise came from the engine before you shifted. It sounded like your car was broken.” The human started laughing again. “That was the rev limiter. Do you have a piece of paper and a pen?” Splinter got up, looking around the small room. “Oh, I do have one here.” He grabbed a small piece of paper and a scrap pencil he had from who-knows-when. Taking the materials in hand, the human drew out a tachometer, replete with markings and a needle. Sitting back down, the rat looked at the crude drawing, with Connor explaining. “This is a tachometer. It tells you how fast your engine is spinning, how many times a second it is rotating. One thousand to… seven thousand RPM on this one. You see this little zone right here between six and seven?” The rat nodded before the human continued.

“That is the redline… well it would be red if I had a red pen. Anyway, on this example engine, the redline is six thousand RPM. That is the highest speed the engine can spin before it can cause damage. So, when you rev the engine up to the redline, it will cut off fuel or spark, stopping it from spinning any faster. That’s what you felt, I’m assuming. That is what’s called the ‘rev limiter’, which limits the revolutions your engine is spinning at. So, I had my foot all the way on the throttle and once I hit the rev limiter, it bucked forward and made that weird noise. It basically saves your engine.” The rat nodded, looking less confused. “Is it a bad thing to go to this rev limiter, then?” Connor shook his head. “Nope. Since it cuts engine speed at the point where it is safe, you could technically hang there all day and it wouldn’t do anything but hurt fuel economy.” “Interesting. So, why do you do it then?” “Uh, it’s more of a satisfaction thing. Hitting the rev limiter for me is like a high score in a video game. ‘You wrung out this gear all the way! Congratulations! Want to do it again?’ Something like that.” 

Splinter smiled. “That is quite the example… so, after this, you drove to your home, changing into your work clothes. I saw a man on the couch sleeping… was that your father?” Connor nodded. “Yup, that’s him, alright.” “He smelled like beer. How often did he drink at that point?” The human shuddered. “At that time… roughly two or three times a week he would get tipsy and pass out on the couch like that. It wasn’t to the point of harming himself or any of us in the home at all, mind you. Just annoying, cause then I would have to take care of the house that night.” The rat only pondered the situation, trying not to judge the human’s father. “Is your father a single father?” The human nodded before the rat continued. “So, that must have been some sort of stress relief, then. Granted, I wouldn’t recommend alcohol being used in that situation, but he did… Anyway, what happened next was you went through a drive-thru and got food. You ate a burrito as you got onto the interstate… how difficult is that?” 

Connor chuckled. “Not that hard. If I was just learning how to drive a stick car, probably much harder. I didn’t have to put any thought into it, really… and considering I am kinda remembering the day we are talking about, did we hit traffic right after?” Splinter nodded. “We did, getting through that and then going to your workplace. I remember distinctly a woman buying tires, not believing you about how spending the money on better ones may have been worth it. How often were customers like that at your shop?” Connor laughed. “A better question would be when people who knew that spending a bit more was worth it were in… About 70% or more of our customers were just focusing on the price. It’s kind of sad to think about, honestly.” Splinter nodded. “I did also learn something about tires looking around the shop.” The human’s eyes widened. “Really?” “Yes. I thought tires were all the same, just black rubber rings that went on vehicles. But, looking around, I saw that there were different types and sizes. I didn’t know there were tires made specifically for performance driving or summer conditions.” “Honestly, that subset of customers were also like you. They don’t know the differences between tires, they think the cheapest one is the same as the expensive one. That couldn’t be any further from the truth.”

The rat nodded. “I figured as much. How bad are cheap tires, anyway?” The human groaned. “They suck. In the dry, there’s no steering feel. In the wet, you may as well be driving on ice. Braking is less predictable. It’s just not fun to drive in any way, not to mention unsafe.” “Speaking of fun to drive and unsafe… the events that happened that night. I was in the passenger’s seat of your car and you were taking this left corner. It seemed like your back tires started to slide out… And then you went on another road, going well over eighty miles per hour. Honestly, I was scared for my life. Further on, you took this right corner, went down a hill, and when your car got to the bottom, I wanted to throw up… and I did fifteen minutes ago.” The human was in shock. “You… w-were in my car as I was going full-out? Oh my god, I’m so sorry…” The rat waved his hand in the air, intending to calm down the stammering human. “I just have one question. Do you drive like that often?” 

Connor shook his head wildly. “Fuck no. Every once in a blue moon, sure, sometimes. When I was really stressed out or just pissed off at something. And no, I never drove like that with someone else in the car… That is, until a rat decided to travel back in time and sit in my car when I was on one of my fastest, craziest drives I’ve ever done in my life… Also, I do apologize about making you throw up like that.” Splinter shook his head. “It’s alright, son. I can just see where you got your driving skills is all. I was so scared sitting there, I thought you would have slid off the road tens of times during that drive, but that did not happen. I commend you for that. You know your car in and out, and it shows. Even if you may be dangerous in the heat of the moment, it may build you in ways others would see as frivolous or reckless. Even I thought that at times, honestly. However, that means that I don’t need to question much about you.”

The human just sat quietly, expecting something else, but Splinter quietly sat for a minute or so before he just said one more line. “Son, you can call our conversation over here, but I just want you to remember one thing. No matter where you came from, there are reasons you ended up here outside of a mutagen, and I believe that wholeheartedly. What you showed me with vomit-inducing results is that through adversity you can still drag something self-building or positive out of it.” Splinter stopped talking after that, and Connor stood up slowly, bowing his head. Walking out of the shoji, he went straight up the stairs. Leo’s voice was trying to say something to him, but it all sounded like a blur. Suddenly exhausted after that conversation, he headed into his room. Laying his head on his pillow, Connor went straight to sleep, not thinking about how he had to feed Kuro or how the Super Bowl was tomorrow. All he knew was that his entire body was suddenly drained after that. Was it the mutagen acting up again, and if so, why?

* * *

Like I have said before, I know the Super Bowl was on a different day IRL than in this story, I just needed to put it on the ninth in the story to make it flow.  
Friday, February 9, 2018  
12:47 AM

 

Don was staring at his computer screen, his thought processes starting to gradually slow down. Yawning, he picked up his coffee cup. It was empty, so he was about to refill it before he caught the time. “It’s almost one… how come Connor hasn’t come in here and begged me to come to bed?” Pondering that, he shut his computer off, quietly walking out of his lab and down the hall. As soon as he opened his bedroom door, however, that confusion he felt grew. The human was on the bed like he passed out, with his glasses, belt, and shoes still on. The turtle only sighed as he slowly slid the black plastic frames off his boyfriend’s head, setting it on the nightstand. Next, he moved down, unlacing Connor’s shoes. That was a little more difficult because the human had wrapped the extra lacing around his ankles before he tied them. However, thirty seconds or so later, the Converse high-tops were on the floor. Don could only mutter “how did this happen to you babe” as he slid into bed, taking off his mask. With a quiet chuckle, Don muttered “And here I wanted him to fuck me tonight, but I guess that is out of the picture now. Wonderful.”

* * *

8:00 AM

 

Nuclear attack sirens started to fill the room, and Don snapped awake. Connor’s phone wasn’t on the nightstand, so the turtle moved his head around, noticing the sound come from the human’s pocket. Carefully fishing it out, he cursed under his breath about how thin pockets really were for turtle fingers. Holding the black plastic device, he swiped on the screen to turn the incessant alarm off. Sighing in relief as it was off, he noticed Connor didn’t make a sound or even react to the alarm, still quietly breathing in and out. His hair was still splayed out across the bed, looking more like a mess at this point. Tying his mask on his head, Don didn’t feel great about the situation his lover was in, worried about if it was something related to the mutagen… or something else.

Heading down the stairs, he decided to ask the person who would have known something about it. Poking his head in the dojo, Leo turned around, immediately stopping his katas. “What’s up, Don?” The purple-banded turtle sighed as he walked in. “Do you have any idea what happened to Connor last night? Here I am, it’s almost one and I’m still in the lab. Go into my room and he’s completely passed out… Glasses and shoes on and everything…” Leo shrugged. “The last time I saw him, he was walking out of Father’s shoji and went straight up the stairs to your bedroom. He looked exhausted… I’m just guessing here, but maybe he gave Connor his special blend of tea he gave us as kids when we couldn’t sleep? I don’t know why he would, but who knows.” Don sighed. “I guess I have to talk to him now. Did he do anything weird beside that?” Leo nodded. “He left his laptop open on the couch… He was putting that video together when Father asked to talk to him, after all.” Don put his head in his hand. “Alright, damnit. Thanks for that at least, Leo.” 

Turning right out of the dojo, he knocked on the door to Splinter’s shoji. A faint ‘come in’ was heard through the door as Don slid it open. The rat smiled as he saw the turtle. “Please do sit down, my son.” Don did, and he sighed. “I only have one question. Did you give Connor some of that tea that causes drowsiness? I saw him absolutely passed out in our bed last night fully clothed.” Splinter nodded. “I did.” “Why, Father?” “With the mental state he was in last night, I only could assume he needed some rest. Is he still asleep right now?” The turtle nodded. “How long has it been?” “Roughly twelve hours, and I expect him to still sleep for a few more hours. I did make quite a bit stronger than I did when all of you were still children, I must admit.” Don sighed. “That just scared me… I was thinking about if that was something relating to the mutagen, that sudden exhaustion. But no, it was just my father treating him like an unruly child. It just feels like something was taken away from me is all… not that I own him or anything, but it just felt wrong. You do understand, Father.” 

The rat nodded. “I am sorry. I did put him to sleep… but there is one thing. When he wakes up in a while, he will feel like a different person, mentally and maybe physically. Not that he will be, but I can guarantee it will be noticeable. How that will affect his mental state long-term, I do not know. Short-term, however, I do believe he will feel better and think less about his past. That was my intent with all of this, although I did not intend on scaring you like that. You are his lover of course, so that is understandable.” Don just rubbed his eyes. “I just need some coffee. I hope you don’t mind me cutting the conversation off there, Father.” The rat shook his head. “It is quite alright, my son. Please feel free to do whatever you wish.” The turtle stood up, bowing before he walked out of the small room. Sighing in relief, he went into the kitchen. Connor had finally broken his habit of just using the coffeemaker, instead opting to grind and brew his coffee manually. It wasn’t like he was crunched for time, anyway.

* * *

11:20 AM

 

Connor started to slowly stir, feeling a digging sensation at his hips. Slowly opening his eyes, he looked down, noticing he still had his belt on. “What the hell” was all he could say as he grabbed his phone from the nightstand. ‘11:20 AM // Fri Feb 9’ was what the lock screen displayed. As he slid his glasses on, he noticed Don was out of the room, and he was still completely dressed. How long had he been out the was the only thing he wondered about. The only thing he did notice was that he felt terrific… and hungry. There was no pain anywhere in his body for a change, and his head felt like it was a clean slate. The only thing tugging out of the room right now was that he was starving with a capital S. Sliding his glasses on, the human reveled in the feeling of nothingness. His back wasn’t tight near his shoulder blades like usual when waking up, and he didn’t have any sort of headache. 

As he crept out of his room, he almost stumbled down the stairs, missing a step. Regaining his composure, he headed down to the kitchen. Opening the fridge, he looked around. There were a few ingredients inside he could cobble together into something that tasted alright. Grabbing what looked like the leftover cooked pork tonkatsu from last week and a half stalk of green onion, he set them on the counter as he dug around the cabinets. “This is a damn Japanese household, they ought to have some ramen somewhere…” He went through a couple of cabinets before he saw a row of familiar plastic packages. Pulling one out, he looked at them in disapproval. “Can’t even buy Maruchan, what a shame.” Grabbing a pot, he filled it with water before turning the stove on. While he opened the ramen package, another figure slid into the kitchen. The human looked to his right and smiled. “Hey babe, what’s up?” 

Don groaned a bit. “I thought I was supposed to be asking you that question… but let me indulge you. The tea that you drank last night with Splinter… well that was intended to knock you out…” The turtle got closer to the human and whispered in his ear. “And I really wanted you to fuck me last night, too…” Connor snorted before he continued. “You want some ramen?” Don shook his head. “No, I’m not really hungry. You must be, you’ve been out for fifteen hours.” “Hungry is an understatement, I’m fuckin’ starving. Didn’t have dinner last night, because of… you could make up an excuse and it’d stick there… and no breakfast obviously. So, this is my breakfast. Oh, speaking of food, did someone feed Kuro last night?” Mikey was listening into the conversation, so he piped up from his seat. “I did, Connor.” “Thank you, Mikey!” The human then sighed. “I feel terrible about that, by the way. Poor thing.” 

Connor dropped the block of flash-fried noodles in the boiling water. Once they were in, Don hugged him from behind. “It’s alright, babe. You feel okay?” “Literally the best I’ve felt in… years, actually. I’m just used to waking up in a bit from my back or something or stressing out about something, like school or work. But… today, it was nothing. Like my mind and body were just wiped clean.” “Splinter said that was his goal in all of that, but it seems like you were just taken from me for a little while.” Connor chuckled as he grabbed a handful of the green onion he chopped up out of the turtle’s sight. “Open up.” “What for?” “Something new.” “Okay…” The turtle opened his mouth, and the human shoved the entire handful in. Don could only grunt “why did you do that” as Connor spoke. “Well, babe, it’s because you need to shut the hell up. I’m fine. You’re fine. And we can always make up missed time… so shush.” The turtle swallowed the vegetable mess and chuckled. “Sorry, babe. You know how I am.” 

The human sighed. “I do, I do. Look, can you just not ruin my meal here with your clinginess? I love that you care about me… hell, you’re the first person who has cared that way intimately with me… but then you make yourself feel like shit. Leave it for right now, please.” Don hung his head. “I’m sorry… I get what you’re saying, though.” Connor smiled. “Thanks. Oh, I haven’t seen Raph, where is he?” “He’s at Casey’s.” The human looked shocked. “He’s fuckin’ pre-gaming already?” “What?” “Pre-gaming. Drinking before the game.” “Oh, I don’t know… but that does sound about right.” Connor sighed again. “Wish I could’ve been invited to that one, oh boy…” “Babe!” “Come on, who doesn’t like walking into the house completely smashed? You feel like you’re gliding right into… a chair, a wall, hell, maybe even another person… Perfection.” He paused before he laughed and continued. “It’s just one of things you experience and then regret right thereafter.” 

Don’s eyes were wide when the human joked like that. “H-how often did you do that?” “Just once. Having to let myself into the house piss drunk is not fun, let me tell you. And no, I didn’t drive home. Got a cab from my friend’s place.” The turtle sighed. “I just hate hearing stories like that. It just sounds so needlessly reckless.” Connor chuckled as he popped the tonkatsu in the microwave. “Do you know me? I may or may not have made Splinter throw up when I was blasting up 60, I outran a Foot patrol, hell, I demanded things from the head of a multinational crime organization. All of those would definitely be classed as reckless... You’re not quite the role model either, Mom.” Don just hugged Connor as he was pulling the food out. “You know what, I’m fine with reckless and stupid sometimes, too. I still do love you after all of that.”

The human smiled as he tried to reach to the stove. “Can I finish making my food now?” Don shook his head as he squeezed the human a bit tighter. “Not until you give me a bite.” “Wasn’t that mouthful of green onion enough?” He sliced off a piece of the tonkatsu and handed it to his boyfriend. “There you go, can I eat now?” Don grunted “mmhm” as he let go. The human grabbed a bowl from the cabinet as the turtle swallowed his bite of deep-fried pork. “By the way babe, I’ve really come to appreciate that French press.” “You have already told me that once…” “Yeah, but that’s because it’s just that much better. The stuff coming out of my coffeemaker just tastes… flat. I still do use it though…” Connor chuckled as he grabbed his bowl, now full of ramen, pork, and green onion. “Babe, aren’t you missing a fork?” “Uh yeah, I am. Can you get one for me?” Don nodded as he went into a drawer, following the human into the living room. 

The two sat on the couch, and Kuro woke up mewing. Connor sighed. “Let me guess, you’re hungry. Payback for me not feeding you, huh?” He got up, heading into the kitchen, getting another bottle of formula together. Don just looked at the kitten and melted a bit. “Aww, look at you. Aren’t you so adorable?” The kitten only mewed, trying to crawl into Don’s lap. The turtle helped him up, looking at the black blob of fur. Rubbing a thumb along Kuro’s spine, Don just smiled. Coming back into the living room, Connor chuckled. “Mesmerized?” “Mmhm.” The human slowly sat down, handing the bottle to Don. “Now that you have him in your lap, you can feed him.” The turtle sighed as he took the bottle, putting it to Kuro’s mouth. 

While the kitten was eating, Connor decided to dig in too. When he was three forkfuls in, Don started to talk. “What sort of cat do you think Kuro is, Connor?” “No clue… why do you ask?” “I looked up pictures of other kittens on a whim the other day, and he is a lot fluffier than other ones. Maybe he is a different breed?” “He could be. The two main long-haired cat breeds are the Maine Coon and the Norwegian Forest Cat. Maybe he could be a mixture of one of those.” Don could only think about that as he sat the bottle down. “We really can’t know, can we? His past is just a mystery. Kind of like you in a way.” Connor coughed. “Well, with a certain two-inch thick binder, we do know every detail about me… at least hopefully we will. God, I’m still so terrified of that thing…” Don leaned over, putting his head on the human’s shoulder. “Babe, we will be alright. Look… Tonight’s the Super Bowl. You should be thinking more about if you’re going to lose your bet over that.” Connor shrugged. “Who knows. I know people have all of these brackets set up and stuff like that… but eh. I mostly did that to challenge Raph, really. If I win, that’s a hundred bucks in my pocket, but if I lose, I’m one-fifty out.” 

Don snorted. “Do you even care?” “Not really.” “What a first-world thing, not caring about being that much money.” Connor chuckled. “I’ve got over three grand to my name, I think losing five percent of that won’t hurt me.” That was a lie, of course, but it wasn’t like Don had access to his bank account. Don just rolled with that like it was the truth, and the two watched some TV while the human ate. It was shaping up to be more peaceful than usual today… Until later that evening, of course. That’s when the real fun was starting.

6:22 PM

The lair was buzzing, with the living room full of people from different species. The entire Hamato family, Casey, April, Usagi, and Connor were all sitting down watching the television. Casey and Raph were already quite a few beers deep at this point, and Kuro was deciding to crawl over everyone’s laps, treating them less as people and more as breathing space heaters. He was currently splayed over Usagi at this moment, purring away. The tipsy red-banded turtle could only mock Connor and his bet. “I’m still winnin’ that damn bet.” The human shook his head. “I bet there’s going to be a fourth-quarter turnaround. Just like last year. Twenty-eight to three… except in my favor this time.” The turtle could only wave his beer in the air while he talked. “Hell no. You’re gonna be paying me one-fifty by the end of tonight. Watch.” Connor shrugged. “Let’s see. If you can feel the pain Atlanta felt last year, that would be a-ma-zing.” 

Everyone suddenly grew quiet after the first play was made, save for the sound of drinks being swallowed or chips being crunched. There was a bet hinging on this game, and every individual party wanted to see what happened.

* * *

Fourth quarter

 

There was ten minutes left on the clock. After two plays, a touchdown was scored by the Patriots. Raph cheered out, seeing the score go from 26-32 to 33-32 after a successful kick. “Haha, I’m winnin’ now!” Connor gritted his teeth a bit. For the majority of the game, the Eagles had been in the lead, but now the Patriots could overtake in the final quarter, much like they did the last year against the Falcons. They both knew that. The next six and a half minutes were nerve-wracking for Connor. Both teams floated around the 75-yard line, not really seeming to get any successful plays done. Just over two minutes was still on the clock at this point. Another touchdown was down on the Eagle’s side, so six points were added to the counter. The score was now 38-33. Raph yelled at the TV. “Come on! The fuck was that!?” Connor only chuckled, watching the two teams shuffle back down the field. 

After a bit, there was only a minute and a half left on the clock. At this rate, the win was borderline secured for the Eagles. Raph was getting angrier after every moment ticked by, but a field goal was counted for the Eagles. The score was 41-33 as the clock on the fourth quarter ran out. The announcer started to speak. “And that, folks, is the end of Super Bowl Fifty-Two, with the Philadelphia Eagles taking the win! That was a tough game at the end for the Eagles…” Connor spoke. “Mute the TV.” Leo grabbed the remote and did just that. The sounds of engines revving up and yelling were coming from the street level. The teen could only chuckle before he started to speak. “That, my friends, is the sound of one-hundred US dollars floating into my wallet. Pay me.” Raph was red at this point, and everyone else started laughing. Even Casey was punching his friend in the arm, half for being an idiot and half for losing. 

Raph had enough, so he stormed off to his room, grabbing two more beers out of the fridge on the way. Everyone left in the living room was concerned at this point. Connor sighed. “You know what, I’m going back to work then. If you need me, I’ll be in my workshop.” A silent pact of ‘forget about it’ washed among the lair. Don went back to his lab, Leo to the dojo, Mikey back to his Xbox. No one expected that sort of ending to something that was supposed to be a celebration. Connor just felt like hell because he felt it was his fault that Raph blew up like that. Closing the door to the small room, he sighed. Turning his soldering station back on, the smell of the tip heating up felt comforting in a way.

* * *

9:33 PM

 

Two knocks were rapped on the door two feet behind Connor. Taking his headphones off, the human responded with “Come in!” A certain red-banded turtle came in the door, shutting it and standing against the wall. Raph looked quite remorseful, which made Connor feel inquisitive. “What’s up?” The turtle sighed, cracking his knuckles. “Shit, I don’t know how ta phrase this… I’m fuckin’ sorry fer earlier. I probably made ya feel like shit. That was a fair bet, so I am gonna keep my word. Here’s this.” He dug into his belt, pulling out a folded stack of twenties. “There’s yer hundred bucks. The Eagles won, so ya won.” Connor only looked at the money, pushing it to the side. “Look, I do want to talk. Is that alright with you?” Raph nodded, electing to sit on the floor. The human chuckled at that movement before he continued to talk. “Man, you just made me feel like hell. I don’t think I’ve seen you get into your temper like that… And you’re supposed to have this hair-trigger fuse… At least that’s what I’ve heard. Are you just holding that back because I’ve came into the fray, or what?” The turtle froze, trying to think. “Well, I dunno. I wouldn’t call it holding back. I still do get pissed at things, but it seems like recently I have been a lot more chilled out. Hell, before ya came, all that was here was the four o’ us and Splinter. Now, we’ve got ya, Usagi, and now Nano comin’ inta this shit.” 

Connor nodded before he asked another question. “Have you noticed any difference in your fighting since, or has that stayed the same?” That was met with a shaking head. “Nah. When I was fightin’ ya that time, I was kinda pissed. I really can’t be pissed if ya don’t try ta hurt any of us, ya know? I also gotta question.” “Sure, shoot.” “What the hell happened to your gun? It didn’t have any of that shit on it before.” Connor laughed. “I forgot I only told Don and Leo about this. But yesterday, uh… Karai called me to her headquarters in Brooklyn. She gave me all of the information about that mutagen… I may also have scared her enough to give me access to her firearms supplier and to lay off you guys for a while. If any of her soldiers touch me, they’re guaranteed dead. She really doesn’t want that.” Raph’s eyes were anime-sized at this point. “No shit?” Connor shook his head while he picked the Glock up off the desk. “What part of silencer and 33-round magazine says I’m lying?” “God damn…” “One thing about that though. I don’t want Mikey or Splinter to really find out…” Raph nodded. “Gotcha. We have secrets between ourselves, anyway.” 

Connor smiled. “By the way, that bet money of yours is going to pay for most of Don and I’s adventure on Sunday, the dinner part at least. So, thanks for that.” Raph laughed. “Glad I could help ya out. Ya gonna be using our room tomorrow?” Connor looked incredulous. “You know there’s over two grand of parts down there and I’m just gonna lead him into them? Fuck outta here.” “Oh shit, that’s right.” The human chuckled. “Keep the planning to me. I kind of know what I’m doing at this point.” Raph nodded. “So, Sunday. What’s gonna happen?” “I leave. I’ll text you and the rest of the guys when I’m at a point to where things can start happening. Don will leave when I text him, you go and get the parts and go on a modding rampage.” “What about when you get back?” “That’s something to figure out when I get back. Probably going to take it on a test drive, do some pulls to tune the engine and trans. You need any tools or anything beforehand I can pick up?” Raph shook his head. “I should be aight. Can do a lot of this stuff in the truck itself. The cam is the only tricky part, but taking the front end off can help with that.” Connor chuckled. “Like the service position for European cars?” The turtle nodded. “Exactly.” 

The human just paused and clapped his hands. “Well, that’s really all I wanted to talk about, really. I do appreciate the apology, Raph. A lot of people I know would have just given me the cold shoulder in that situation.” The turtle stood up, getting his balance before holding his right hand out. Connor took it, shaking it. With a nod, the turtle left the room. Things are sometimes better left unsaid.

* * *

11:16 PM

 

Connor slowly cracked the door to Don’s lab open, peeking in. The turtle was mindlessly looking at his computer, so he walked in. Catching the figure out of the corner of his eye, Don smiled. “Hey babe. What’s up?” “Well, I was looking to make up some lost time… You?” “I’ve been looking forward to that all day. Come here.” Don shifted away from his desk, and Connor straddled his lap, meeting him with a kiss. The turtle shivered when he wrapped his arms around his lover. “God, you’re so warm…” “I’m a warm-blooded mammal. Part of the job description… Want my hoodie? It is a little chilly in here.” “Yes please.” Connor took it off, and Don put it on. The hoodie was baggy on the human, but it fit over Don’s shell. “Ahh, it’s so warm…” Connor smiled. “Better?” “A bit.” “Hang on.” The human wrapped himself around the turtle, hugging him tightly while rubbing down his arms, warming them up via friction. 

After a minute or so, he stopped. “I’ve got something that could warm you up a bit more than my hoodie.” Don faked an inquisitive tone in response. “Hmm, I wonder what that could be…” “Do I need to spell it out?” “Maybe.” “Your. Ass. Is. Mine.” Don grinned before he shivered again. “Sounds great, but I am still cold.” “Want me to warm you up some more before we go into our room?” The turtle nodded, and Connor hugged him again, getting as close as possible. That hug soon went from a warmth movement to a full make-out session, and the two lovers moved into their bedroom after a few minutes. Don was about to take off the hoodie, but Connor stopped him as he grabbed the lube. “Don’t take it off. You look so cute in it.” “Really?” “Yeah…” “Okay then. If I get overheated it’s your fault.” Connor laughed as he got in his side of the bed, stripping his bottoms off. 

He moved over to Don’s side, laying halfway over him. “I do like seeing you in clothing sometimes, you know. And especially mine. You know the whole stereotype about a girlfriend stealing a hoodie or whatever from their boyfriend… I think it’s kinda cute.” “Well babe, I probably would, but this is like the only thing you own that will fit over my shell.” “Still cute.” “Fuck me already. I’ve been waiting all day.” Without hesitation, Connor moved his tongue into Don’s cock slit, eyes shifting to dark gray. The turtle moaned with the sudden stimulation, jerking his upper body a bit. “Fuck, ah…” His cock started to slowly move out of the slit, teasing Connor with every inch. Running his tongue over it, the human worked the head with the softer bits of his mouth, carefully adding a bit of suction. Don was in another world until he lifted off. “Ready, babe?” “Hell yeah I am.” Connor could only grin as he rolled a condom on. The sight of the turtle in his bed was amazing, but with his hoodie on, it made him seem more relatable in a way. 

Adding lube to both Don’s ass and his cock, Connor lined himself up to enter. He slowly eased in, watching the turtle’s reaction. A wince turned into relief, so he eased in further, adding a bit more lube down the shaft. Once he was three-quarters in, Connor shifted forward a bit, laying on top of Don. “You are so amazing, babe. I love you.” Don moved his head, kissing Connor before he started to speak. “You too. God, this is just what I needed… Who knew I’d be such a slut for anal.” Connor chuckled. “I’m guessing you didn’t. Want me to really make you feel like that slut?” “Mmhm.” With an evil look in his eyes, he flipped Don over, moving him to where his ass pointed up, with his face smashed into the pillow. “Wha-…” was all Don could mutter before Connor started pounding into him with reckless abandon. The confusion on the other end shifted into bliss after his prostate was rubbed against. “Yeah, you like that, bitch? Being a slut for me?” “Fuckkk yeessss…” Connor started to rub his left hand on Don’s left buttock, slowly making it tingle before he quickly slapped it with medium force. 

Don only moaned when this happened, not having a reaction against it. “You like that?” “Oh yeah…” “Good sluts need to be spanked, isn’t that right.” “Yes! Please spank me!” “Good bitch… Although do tell me if I’m going too far. I don’t want to hurt you.” Don turned his head and looked up. “I will, babe.” Connor nodded and continued to fuck him, throwing a slap in on either side roughly every ten seconds. Don moaned every time he was spanked, shuddering a bit after a few hits. After about five minutes of this, Connor was getting on the verge of orgasm. He stopped the barrage of spanking, reaching around Don to grasp his hard member. The moans coming from the turtle changed from staccato snaps to a more guttural satisfaction. “Ah… babe! Fuck! I’m… coming!” A series of clenches squeezed around Connor’s cock, making him spray into Don. “S-shit…” Don collapsed onto the bed, pulling his lover out of him in the process. 

Don was the first to speak after both of their heads cleared up. “Holy shit, that was amazing… and my ass still stings.” “I didn’t hurt you, did I?” “Nope. Just one of those things you remember for a while… I really liked that roleplay.” “Really? I guess we’ll have to try that some more.” “Yeah… eww.” Don sat up, noticing he had his cum spread around Connor’s hoodie. “I laid into my cum.” “And you got it into our sheets too. Let me get something to clean this up.” Connor looked around, grunting when he grabbed a dirty shirt. “This’ll have to work.” He wiped off the majority of the cum off the sheets and Don, chuckling when he did so. “You’re going to wash this, you know.” “I don’t really want to, it now smells like both of us.” “Yeah, but it’s going to stain horribly. You know that.” “Fine. I’ll wash it. Tomorrow. It’s too cold to take it off.” Connor chuckled as he laid down. “Want me to warm you back up then?” “Yes please.” 

The human pulled the comforter over them, then getting a bit closer to Don. “Better?” “Very. Why are you so… great?” Connor chuckled. “I don’t know. I should be asking you that question.” “How about we just get some sleep? You wore me out just now.” The human wrapped one of his arms around Don. “We can do that… also, I was about to cum the instant you wanted the slut treatment. So hot.” “Really?” Connor nodded. “Damn right it was. How hard was it to roll with?” “Not very. I was in the submissive mood to start with.” “Ah. Well that explains it then. How’s your ass feeling?” “A bit better. I bet the sting will be gone in the morning.” “Good. Anyway, let’s get some sleep.” “Alright. Good night, babe.” “Night, babe. Love you.” “Love you too.”

The warm embrace of the two fell into sleep on both sides. Two gambles were won today, the gamble of money and the gamble of kinkiness.


End file.
